My Treasure
by MissMJS
Summary: After Amy and her friend are kidnapped by Captain Sonic and his crew of pirates, Amy must try and figure out how to escape her kidnappers and get back to the arms of her fiance. However, the longer she stays there, the more she finds herself growing attached to this new way of life. Will Amy want to leave when the time finally comes? *FINISHED*
1. Chapter 1

**I don't know about you guys, but I have yet to find a finished romance pirate story, so... (fanfare music) here I am, to the rescue!**

**I specifically own Amara and this story. Most other characters either belong to Sega or Archie.  
**  
**Chapter 1**

Amy's P.O.V.

"Hurry up Amelia! You are going to be late!" My mother shouts at me through my bedroom door.

"I am almost ready, mother!" I call back. She sighs in annoyance and I hear her departing footsteps. I roll my eyes and continue to apply my makeup.

"At least you take as long to get ready as a real princess does." Amara smirks at me as I look in the mirror, sitting on my bed.

"I don't take THAT long." I huff.

"You're right." She says, catching me off guard. Before I can voice my confusion, she snickers, "You take much longer!" I groan and throw my brush at her. She laughs.

When I was five years old, the other kids would pick on me for being the daughter of one of the richest men in the kingdom, Duke Lucas. One day, the other kids were playing keep-away with my doll, and a magenta girl hedgehog snatched my doll from them. She told them to go away and leave me alone, and then she gave me back my doll. That was the day I met Amara Vipsin. She is a year older than me, she doesn't let anyone mess with her, and, once you've earned her loyalty, she will stick by your side till the end. I also discovered her family is the opposite of mine and is one of the poorest families in the kingdom. That doesn't make her dislike me because of who my family is, like other people do, though. She likes me for who I am and I like her for who she is. Our parents don't seem to like each other, however, but they allow us to continue to be friends. Probably because when they first told us to stop playing with each other, we refused to listen. Now here we are, fifteen years later, and we are still loyal to each other.

Once I am finished, I look myself over in my mirror. I'm wearing a red ball gown with sleeves that are puffy at the ends and they reach to my elbows. "Do I look okay?" I ask self-consciously.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you always look amazing?" She sighs, exasperated.

"You forget that you're the one who always looks amazing, not me." I say. It's true, everything about Amara is dazzling. Especially in that sapphire-blue ball gown, which I barely wear because I can't pull it off, right now. She can pull off any outfit you pick for her, and all the boys seek her attention. The only dazzling thing I can think about myself is my jade-green eyes.

Amara fixes me with a disapproving glare. "Stop it Amy. You are perfect, okay? Everyone sees flaws in themselves that other people don't see as flaws." She stands and walks over to me. "You are especially perfect tonight. You look extraordinary," She grabs my shoulders, spins me towards the door, and begins pushing me to it. "so let's go to this party and let all those guys drool all over you."

"What's the point of that?" I ask, opening the door. "This is my engagement party."

Amara's eyes slightly harden with an emotion that I can't identify. "Yeah. I know. I'm just still hoping your actual Mr. Right will pop up."

"Please, will you just tell me why you don't like him?!" I plead for what feels like the millionth time. We met just last week, and he asked me to marry him two days ago. He has been nothing but kind to me, he's handsome, he's smart, and he is the best choice out of all the men I have ever met in my whole life. It doesn't really matter to me that he is the Prince of our kingdom, Pallertha, so of course I accepted. But Amara doesn't agree with my decision. She says it's way too soon, that he could be a totally different guy than I think. I've heard of people getting engaged the day they met, so this isn't really that bad.

We stop outside the dining room doors. "I told you Amy: I just don't like him." Amara says without looking at me. "I'm going to go help set up the party. See you later." She turns and heads to the back yard, where the engagement party will begin after dinner. Why won't she tell me? I know she has a reason for not liking him. She knows it's hurting me, yet she refuses to even give me a clue!

Taking a breath, I plaster a smile on my face and enter the dining room. Inside, seated at the table, are my parents and other 'important' people, like nobles and dukes, from all around Pallertha. The King and Queen will sit at one end of the table and my fiancé and I will sit at the other. I take my seat, choosing the end that is closest to my parents. My father, Duke Lucas Rose, is a red hedgehog with the same green eyes as me, and my mother, Duchess Catherine Rose, is a light purple hedgehog with grey eyes. Not even a few seconds pass after I'm seated before the trumpets sound, announcing the arrival of the royal family. Everyone rises as a servant steps up.

"Their royal Highnesses, King Marcus, Queen Penelope, and Prince Scourge." Three hedgehogs, all adjourned with royal attire, step into the room. Marcus is a forest-green hedgehog with dark brown eyes, Penelope is a light yellow hedgehog with intense blue eyes, and Scourge is a regular green hedgehog with the same eyes as his mother.

The family takes their seats at the table, and we all sit down. Servants with our meals come rushing out and place them before us. As the meals are being set down, Scourge and I make eye contact, and he gives me a smile. I smile back and see what's for dinner, trying to find something to keep my nerves hidden. For dinner we are having steaks, mashed potatoes, and some vegetables. One of the perks of being rich is everything you eat is homemade and locally grown.

Before we can begin eating, my father stands, bringing his wine glass up with him. "I would like to thank you all for being here tonight and celebrating this joyous occasion with us. I would also like to make a toast to the engaged couple." He raises his glass. "May my daughter and Prince Scourge live long, prosperous lives, and may they rule as fairly as their previous rulers!"

"Hear, hear!" Everyone, excluding me and Scourge, shouts while raising their glasses, then they take a drink. My father takes his seat and dinner begins.

I hate these kinds of dinners, they are so boring and awkward. The only time I talked throughout the whole thing was when I was asked a question or when I was making small talk with my parents or Scourge. When dinner was finally over, I got up as fast as I could from my seat and started to make my way to the party out back.

"Amelia! Wait up!" I turn and find Scourge quickly making his way towards me. "Do you mind if I accompany you to the party?" He asks me once he catches up.

"Oh, uh, sure! I-I mean no, I don't mind." I smile nervously, faintly blushing. Damn nerves. "You can call me Amy by the way. I'm not too fond of my full name."

"Okay, Amy." He flashes me a smile, and we begin to walk, him beside me. A couple moments of silence pass. "So, that dinner was lame." Scourge says, breaking the silence.

"They always are." I groan, happy that someone else thinks the same thing as me. The Prince, no less!

"Yes! They are! And you can only refill you wine glass once! How the hell can a guy like me have fun if they limit the amount of alcohol I consume?" Scourge exclaims dramatically. I giggle at his silliness, making him grin victoriously at making me laugh.

"You have a cute laugh." He tells me, still smiling.

"No I don't. I sound like a little girl!" I whine.

"That's what makes it so cute." He states, then he pushes a loose strand of my pink hair behind my ear. I blush, and, not sure on what I'm supposed to do, I look at my surroundings. We have just made it to the backyard, where the party is.

People crowd the area, all of them invited either from Scourge and his family or from me and my family. Party lanterns are hanging on strings tied to the trees, flowers from my family's flower garden are either in vases or still planted in the ground all around, and a band is on a stage, playing music for people to dance to. This is almost exactly how I imagined my engagement party! I get a little teary from my happiness.

Scourge suddenly offers me his hand. "May I have this dance?" Blinking my eyes clear, I smile and take his hand. He smiles back and leads me down to the dance floor. A upbeat song begins to play and we dance. Unlike Amara, I love and know how to dance. Apparently Scourge also knows how, but he's a prince so I don't think it should count. Too soon the song ends, but Scourge doesn't seem willing to let me go quite yet. He keeps a hold of my hand and waits for the next song to start. So we dance, for how long and for how many songs, I'm not sure. Scourge is such a nice guy, I'm sure I'll be happy marrying him. If only Amara could feel the same way.

Finally getting tired, I tell Scourge I'm thirsty. He leads me over to the snack and beverage table. Along the way there, I see Amara dancing with a black and red male hedgehog. Personally, I think he looks a bit too serious, but that doesn't seem to faze Amara. She catches sight of me the same time I do her, and she excuses herself from the hedgehog. Scourge and I get some water and and a few seconds later, Amara is there besides me.

"Why hello Miss Amelia! Long time no see." She grins, full well knowing I hate being called by my full name.

"Ha. Ha. Hi to you too Amara." I reply dryly. She smirks and turns her attention to Scourge as he steps around me and is now visible to her. Her smirk turns into a tight, polite smile as she acknowledges him.

"Your majesty." She curtsies, her voice having a hint of coldness to it.

"Miss Amara." He nods, just as cold. He turns his gaze to me and it softens. "If you don't mind, I'd like to visit with a couple of my friends."

I smile, feeling disappointed on the inside. "That's alright. I'll see you later."

"Until then." He takes my hand and kisses it, then he turns and disappears into the crowd. I smile after him fondly, then focus my attention on Amara.

Sensing where this is headed, Amara throws me a stern glare and says, "No. Just drop it. Some people just don't get along, okay?" I lower my ears in disappointment and frustration.

"You're going to tell me one day."

She ignores what I said and changes the subject. "I met a real interesting guy earlier."

"You mean the black and red hedgehog?"

"Oh, good, you saw him. You also saw how good looking he was too, right?" She gets a cheesy smile. I smile and roll my eyes.

"Sure. What makes him interesting?"

"Well, first off, he doesn't seem to be interested in me! He is also pretty secluded. He didn't even really ask me to dance. We were hanging out with the same group of people and we were besides each other. We made eye contact a few times, and when a song started, he just simply held out his hand for me to take and took me out to dance. He's a good dancer actually." She gets lost in her thoughts, a dreamy look on her face. I smirk.

"Why Amara, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're quite taken away with this guy." She blushes.

"He's just different! Doesn't mean I like him." She says defensively. "I don't even know his name."

"Hmm." I smirk. "Okay. Whatever you say." She shoots a glare at me. It's not very often she shows interest in a guy, so of course I'm going to take advantage of this and tease her.

I'm about to launch another attack, when a voice from behind me asks, "Lovely night, isn't it ladies?"

**Leave a review and let me know how I'm doing so far!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Missy the Cat****, ****Dave the Gay****, ****yanin15****, and ****ThePurplePyroHedgie****, thanks for the reviews!**

**Chaos-Emerald-Shads****: No, I didn't take other OCs. I completely made them up, and if there are other OCs like the ones in here then it's purely coincidental. I just said I specifically own Amara because I care if people use her without my permission. If they use the others without my permission, I wouldn't mind, I'm probably not going to use them again. **

**I own Amara and this story. Sega or Archie own most of the others. **

**Chapter 2**

**_Sonic's P.O.V. _**

Sneaking into the party wasn't hard. The Rose's back yard is right next to a forrest, making it that much easier just to waltz in like you're supposed to be there. And that's exactly what Shadow and I did.

"Okay, keep an eye out for guards and I'll get Amelia." I instruct Shadow once we make it inside the party.

"You mean once you are done being idiotic?"

"Hey! It's a party isn't it?" I smirk at him. How I wish I could have brought Knuckles instead. He would've been fun. But this is a huge mission, and if something were to go wrong, Shadow is the only one that can keep up with my speed. "Besides, once I show her my charms, I'll get her to do anything I want."

"Just get the girl." He rolls his eyes and goes into the crowd.

"'Just get the girl.'" I mimic while making a face. I casually work my way through the crowd, looking for the bubblegum pink, girl hedgehog that has been described to me. Eventually, I spot the back of her head near the snack and beverage table. I put on my charming smile and make my way over to her. She is talking to a girl magenta hedgehog with brown hair.

"Lovely night, isn't it ladies?" Amelia turns to look at me and I'm instantly drawn in by her eyes. They are literally like jade!

"Yes, it is." She answers with a smile. Kind of a cute little thing.

"Yeah. Now, who are you?" The magenta hedgehog asks me, a suspicious glint in her eyes. I snap out of my thoughts.

"My name is Leonard Gallard." I tell them my fake name, since my actual name is pretty well known.

"It's lovely to meet you Leonard. My name is Amelia Rose, but I prefer to be called Amy. And this rude friend of mine is Amara Vipsin." Amy glares at Amara as she introduces her.

Amara shrugs, indifferent. "Stranger danger they say." How true. A song begins to play and I use my charming smile against Amy.

"May I have this dance?" She flushes for a second, then recollects herself and nods. I grab her hand and take her out near the outside of the crowd, near the forest. "I hope you don't mind dancing here, I like dancing in wider areas." I say as my excuse.

"No, it's perfect." She smiles at me. I take her left hand with my right and I wrap my left hand around her waist. She sets her right hand on my left shoulder and we dance. I consider myself to be one of the best dancers around, you have to be when you're a dashing captain like me, but as I watch her step gracefully to the beat, I know she is one of the better ones as well. Once the song ends, I bow.

"You remind me of a patch of roses I found in the forest." I smoothly say. Her face lights up.

"You found wild roses in the forest? I've always wanted to see wild ones, but my parents will only allow me to stay at the edge of the forest." Her smile dims.

"If you'd like, I can show you them. They are not very far, that way in fact." I point to her left. She hesitates, uncertainty on her face. I smile and get closer to her. "I'll return you safely." She blushes, but she takes a step from me and avoids eye contact.

"I-I don't know. Could Amara come? She would appreciate the roses as well."

"Are you sure? It's okay with me, I guess." I say, voice laced with disappointment. Guilt flashes across her face, but then she smiles at me.

"Thank you. I'll go get her." She turns and runs off. Damn it! It was supposed to be just her. Rubbing my temple, I make my decision and quickly find Shadow.

"Shads," He scowls at the nickname that I gave him long ago. "she won't go anywhere with me unless she brings her friend. So we're just going to have to take them both."

"What happened to 'once I show her my charms, I'll get her to do anything'?" He smirks mockingly at me. I glare at him.

"Just get ready." I go back to the spot where Amy left me, and just in time too. Just a few seconds later, Amy and Amara come into view and make their way over to me.

"Okay, let's go!" Amy says cheerfully. Amara just looks at me, the suspicious look still in her eyes. I fake a smile and take Amy's arm, leading her through the woods with Amara behind us.

"So Leonard," Amy breaks the silence. "do you know the royal family somehow? I can't seem to remember hearing your name from my side of the family."

"I'm actually pretty close to the royals. They hear from me at least once a week." And boy is it fun.

"How nice." Amy smiles.

"Hey, how far are these roses anyways?" Amara asks with an arched eyebrow.

"A little longer." I answer.

"It better be." She casts me a warning glare while Amy shoots a glare of her own at Amara. Silence comes back for a little while before Amara breaks it. "If we aren't there in the next minute, I'm-" her voice gets muffled and some struggling is heard. Amy whirls around to see what's wrong with her friend. I grab Amy and, using a trick I've learned, I push a point on her neck, making her go unconscious. I catch her as she falls and I turn to see Shadow had subdued Amara as well. He was looking at her unconscious body, a little surprised.

"What? You know her?" I ask.

"I danced with her earlier, I do not know her name though."

"Well, she can tell you back on the ship." Using my super speed that I've had since I was born, I zoom off, with Shadow right behind me, back to my ship, _The_ _Acorn_.

Once we are boarded, Shadow and I lay the girls near the mast, where I can keep an eye on them and where they are out of the way.

"We've got her! Weigh anchor!" I shout to my crew.

"Aye aye!" They respond. My loyal crew hustle about, getting the ship ready.

Silver is a silver hedgehog with telekinesis and also is in charge of the ship's inventory.

Knuckles is a red echidna with an eyepatch on his left eye, his eye was cut in a sword fight a few years ago, and he is the master gunner. Something he enjoys way too much, in my opinion, but he at least knows pretty much everything there is to know about a weapon.

Rouge is a female white bat and also Knuckles girlfriend. She makes sure the ship doesn't get too filthy. We may be pirates, but that doesn't mean we have to live in a dirty ship.

Tails is a 14 year-old, yellow fox with more brains than anyone I know, and he practically my little brother. He is the boatswain, making this ship the most durable ship I've ever known.

Blaze is a purple cat with pyrokinesis, which is very handy to sanitize things. Blaze is Silver's wife. She refused to let Silver leave her behind while he pillages, so I let her be the ship's doctor.

Vector is a green crocodile, and he is the ship's cook and musician. His food is better than everybody else's on the ship, but it could use some more practice.

Charmy is a 10 year-old bumble bee under Vector's care. He is the cabin boy and lookout. He, unfortunately, is also very energetic.

Espio is a purple chameleon and is the strategizer for our battles. He is Vector's buddy, and he doesn't say much when it comes to socializing.

Shadow is the quartermaster. Both of us get on each other's nerve like no other, but we have an invisible line established that we don't cross. If we did, a fight would surely ensue. I would totally win though. The reason he's the quartermaster, though, is because of his ability to make smart decisions and to lead when I am not around. To be a good captain, I have to make decisions that are best for my crew. Even if that means I have to make a guy, that I'm not too fond of, my second-in-command. The things I do.

Then there's me: the awesome captain of this awesome crew. I have yet to be caught and to lose a crew member.

An hour after taking off, Kuckles shouts out to me, "Hey Sonic! Looks like one of the sleepy heads is awake!" I smirk. Time to let them know where they are. I walk up to the now-awake Amy.

"Leonard?" She looks at me confused. "What's going on?" Silly girl.

"The name's Sonic. Captain, Sonic." I say with an extravagant bow. Amy's eyes widen with recognition. A groan sounds. "Ah. Looks like she's awake too." I grin at the awakening Amara. "Good evening madam."

"You okay Amara?" Amy asks her. Amara looks around, taking in her surroundings.

"Yeah. I'm just pissed now." She growls, glaring at me. I smile innocently.

"If it makes you feel any better, you aren't supposed to be here. But since Amy was being difficult, I had no choice but I bring you along." I look at Amy in mock disapproval.

"What do you want with me?" Amy demands.

"I am going to use you for ransom. I imagine the future bride of Prince Scourge will be worth a lot of money." I smirk.

"He'll catch you." She says, full of confidence. I chuckle.

"Sure, because he's caught us so many times before." I say sarcastically. A few snickers sound.

"Sonic, what are we going to do with her?" Shadow asks me, pointing at Amara.

Amara's eyes narrow. "You!"

He smirks at her. "Lovely to see you again, Amara is it?" She stays silent and glares at him.

"Well," I say, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. "I have no use for her. I've heard she's from a poor family, so I can't use her for another ransom. So I guess we'll set her loose at the next stretch of land we stop at." I shrug.

"I'm not leaving without Amy." She growls at me. I arch an eyebrow.

"You think you have a say in this?" Her jaw tightens.

"It's alright Amara, I'll be fine. They won't hurt me, not if they want good ransom." Amy tries to convince her.

She shakes her head. "No." She looks directly at me. "If you let me stay here with Amy, I'll do whatever you want."

"I don't need a personal slave, I've already got everything I could need." I dismiss the offer. "Unless one of my crew members want your services?" I look around at them, seeing if anyone does. Shadow steps forward.

"I could." He smirks seductively at Amara. Ha, no way will she agree to that. I watch both the girls reactions as they realize what Shadow would want with Amara. Amy pales and looks both disgusted and horrified, while Amara just tenses.

"Well, you tried." I shrug. "We'll drop you off at-"

"Deal." Amara interrupts me. Shock courses through everyone, including me. Amy tears up.

"No! It's not worth it Amara! Just leave, I'll be fine!"

"I'm not leaving my best friend behind." She states, then looks at Shadow. "No matter the cost." Another sign she isn't a rich person: rich people would never sacrifice themselves like that for a friend. Maybe family. Maybe.

"Well, Shadow," I gesture over to the magenta hedgehog. "She's now your responsibility." He looks at her.

"Come on." He turns and begins walking to his room. Amara squeezes Amy's hand before getting up and following Shadow to his cabin. Amy watches, a tear escaping her eye.

"Well, that's enough entertainment for tonight. Off you guys go." I tell my crew. Groans of disappointment sound and they walk off. I turn to the crestfallen Amy. "Oh come on, it's not like she's going to die or something." Flames flash in her eyes.

"But it's still a horrible thing to be forced to do." She growls. Then she slumps, her ears lowering. "And it's my fault." She whispers, almost to soft for me to hear.

"You rich people sure are good actors." I state.

"You think I'm acting?" She asks incredulously.

"Well yeah. You have a reputation, you've gotta keep up you know." Her eyes narrow and her jaw tightens.

"I don't care what anybody thinks of me. If I did, then why would I even bother being Amara's friend?" She argues.

"I don't care why. You have your reasons. Now," I clap my hands together. "you can either bunk with me or sleep in a dirty prison cell."

"I'll take the cell." She spits out at me, full of venom.

"Fine," I shrug indifferently. "follow me." I take Amy below deck to the very back of the ship, where there are two prison cells, both with a little cot. I open the left cell "Madam." I grandly gesture inside. She rolls her eyes and marches inside. I lock the door. "See you know the morning!" I say cheerfully, and I turn and go back above deck.

"Well this is certainly going to be fun." Knuckles says to me once I reach the steering wheel.

"Yup." I smirk. "We already get along so well."

He smirks as well. Then he grows serious. "Just don't get too cocky Sonic. Sure, we've never been caught yet, but then again, we've never done something this big."

"Yeah yeah. I know. Don't worry, just trust your awesome Captain."

"Aye aye Cap'n!" He says sarcastically.

"That's the spirit Patches!" I clap him on the shoulder. He scowls, also not fond of his nickname. Chuckling, I retire to my cabin. Unlike other ships, my cabin is only slightly bigger than everyone else's. I don't need that much room. Because we are the top two on the ship, Shadow and I's cabins are above deck while everyone else's is below. I collapse on my bed. Tomorrow is going to be interesting.

**Reviews would be awesome!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Nebula the Hedgehog****, ****Dave the Gay****, thanks for the reviews!**

**I own Amara and this story. Sega or Archie own most of the others. **

**Chapter 3**

**Amy's P.O.V. **

"Rise and shine sleepyhead!" Somebody hollers at me. I jump up, but in doing so, I fall out of my cot. I sit up on the floor and rub the sleep from my eyes. Sonic unlocks the cell door and opens it. "Here." He tosses me a bundle of clothes, hitting me square in my face. He turns around to give me 'privacy'.

"Are you kidding me?" I glare at him.

"It's not smart to leave prisoners alone when their cell is open." He shrugs. Then he turns his head, looking at me from the side of his eye. "Or did you want me to watch?"

"Just turn around." I snap at him. Chuckling, he turns his head back. I unravel the bundle. There's a dress with a white top and elbow-sleeves. The bottom half is black and goes down to the knees, something my parents would definitely disapprove on. I don't want to stay in my current big, hot dress though, so I quickly change. I put on the black work-shoes that he also gave me. Surprisingly, they fit and are very comfortable.

I wordlessly walk past Sonic and make my way to the deck above. He hears me walk by and he catches up to me in a couple strides.

"Nice." He smirks, eyeing my outfit. I clench my jaw and ignore his comment. "Until I release you, your job everyday will be helping anyone that could use it. I don't want to see you taking a break unless I say so. And when no one else has anything for you to do, come see me. I will always be able to find things for you to do."

"And how long will it be before you 'release' me?" I ask.

"In the note I left your precious prince, I instructed him to have the ransom and to meet me in Foviad six days from now." I'm stuck here for six more days?

We step on deck. Amara is up here as well, untangling the biggest knot of ropes I've ever seen. She is wearing the same thing as me, but solid black. "Amara!" I run up to her and hug her. I grab her face and look for any signs of harm. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"Amy, calm down." She grabs my hands and smiles reassuringly. "I'm fine. He didn't touch me."

"Really?" I look at her dubious. "You better not be lying to me."

"I'm not." She rolls her eyes. "He just gave me some nightwear, put a chain on my ankle to prevent me from escaping, and said the right side of the bed was mine. Then we slept. That's it." I exhale loudly.

"Thank God!" Someone clears his throat behind me. I turn around.

"Did I say you could socialize?" Sonic glares down at me.

"You never told me when to start." I glare back.

"Start, then."

"Fine." I turn back to Amara. "Would you like to have my assistance?" I ask as formally as I can. She grins.

"Why yes, yes I could."

"No!" Sonic rubs his face. "My crew, not your friend."

"You said anyone that could use my help." I argue.

"No." He says, giving me a hard look. I throw my head back and give an exasperated sigh.

"Fine." I huff. I give a side glance to Amara. She winks. Usually it's Amara that has the sass mouth, but if I don't like someone, then I am nothing but difficult and sassy. Sonic has another thing coming if he thinks he can threaten me to be a good little girl.

I find a white bat and I walk up to her. "Do you need help with anything?" I ask her. She gives me a scrutinizing look.

"Hmm. Do you know how to mop?"

"Yes." I help Amara clean up her family's house at least once a week, since my parents won't let me clean anything. 'We have servants to do that' they told me.

"Great." She hands me a bucket full of water and a mop. "The name's Rouge. You can mop the whole deck, then below." I eye the wide stretch of deck before me, the sun blaring down on it.

"A-alright." This is going to be a long day.

**XXXXX**

I make my way to the kitchen, the room above deck towards the prow. Just one more person to go. I am so sore, and I managed to get a sunburn, regardless of having fur. I never had to visit Sonic, for everyone had things for me to do. Except for Shadow, he used Amara for his tasks, but she was just as busy as me, never giving us a chance to talk.

The sun is on the horizon and I'm going to see if the cook needs any help. I'm outside the kitchen door, when shouting suddenly sounds from within and I stop. Hesitantly, I reach to open the door. The door flings open and the little bumble bee I met earlier, Charmy, bursts through, his arms loaded with biscuits. A big crocodile appears in the doorway a second later.

"GET BACK HERE WITH THOSE!" He bellows after Charmy. Charmy disappears around the corner, laughing in triumph as he does. "Arrg." The crocodile rubs his temples. Then he notices me. "Oh, hello there. Sorry about the yelling. That little thief. Can I help you with something?"

"I uh, was just wondering if you need some help." I rub my ears, still partially deaf.

"You bet I could! Come." He leads me into the kitchen. My eyes widen at the sight before me: the biggest mountain of dirty dishes I have ever seen. "Incase you haven't noticed, the dish situation is out of hand right now." The crocodile gets a sheepish grin on his face.

"It's no problem." I smile, despite my exhaustion. "My name is Amy." I'm not even going to bother telling these people my full name.

"Nice to meet you Amy. My name's Vector." Vector smiles at me, then he starts chopping vegetables.

An hour later, I'm barely halfway through with the dishes, and Vector's beef stew is over the fire, cooking.

"Hey Amy," Vector comes over to me holding a spoonful of the stew. "Tell me what you think of this." I dry my hands and I take the spoon, eating the sample.

"It could use some more time, and did you season this?"

"No. The last time I tried seasoning, well, let's just say it made salt water seem like regular water." Vector rubs the back of his head.

"Oh. How about I help you?" I offer.

"You know how to cook?" He looks at me, excitement beginning to overtake his face. Smiling, I nod. "Then yes!" He grabs my arm and takes me over to a cupboard. "These are all the seasonings we have." He says as he opens the cupboard. It's a two-by-three-foot cabinet with four shelves full of seasonings, a lot I've never heard of.

My eyes widen. "Wow."

"Yeah. Even though I don't season, the Cap'n likes to get all the seasonings that he likes."

"I'm going to keep it simple for now and stick to the seasonings I know." I tell him and I begin my search. "I'll experiment with these other ones later."

"Whatever works." Vector shrugs. I find the seven seasonings that I want and I go to the stew.

"Okay Vector, come here and I'll teach you how to use these."

**XXXXX**

"It'll be alright Vector." I say soothingly. Vector and I are about ready to serve the pot of stew. "You said so yourself: it tastes great!"

"But last time..."

"This isn't last time. How about this: I'll take the blame if they don't like it." I suggest.

"I planned on blaming you anyways." He grins slyly at me.

"Gee. Glad I avoided that shock." I playfully role my eyes. Vector grabs the stew, I grab the bowls and spoons, and we go out on deck. There, the crew set up a bunch of smaller tables, making one big make-shift dinner table.

"About time! I'm going to die from starvation!" The silver hedgehog, known as Silver, exclaims.

"I could always let you cook." Vector replies. A bunch of grimaces and groans come from everyone, and Silver blushes from embarrassment.

"It's okay dear." Blaze pats Silver's arm. "I didn't marry you for your cooking." She smirks. Silver groans as everyone laughs. I even chuckle. Vector begins to fill the bowls and I serve them.

"Good. God!" Knuckles exclaims after taking a bite. Vector nearly spills the stew.

"She did it! She seasoned it!" Vector yells, pointing at me. Knuckles turns to me.

"This is delicious!" He turns back to his bowl and begins to scarf down the stew. I look at the embarrassed Vector.

"Told you so." I smugly say. After Knuckles exclamation, everybody who already has their stew tries it. Various sounds and outbursts of pleasure come from everyone.

"Hey! Hurry up! I wanna see what all the hubbub is about!" Charmy yells at Vector and I.

"You'll get served last, you little thief." Vector glares at Charmy, still miffed about the biscuit incident from earlier. Charmy groans, but with a sheepish smile on his face.

After serving everyone, Vector and I take our seats and eat; my seat right next to Sonic's. Goody.

"Hmm. Pretty good, for a rich girl." Sonic says, taking a bite of his stew.

"Thanks." I say dryly.

"What? You can't take a compliment?" Sonic says with his mouth full, arching an eyebrow at me.

"Who couldn't? I mean, they are so heartfelt and nice! It's a wonder how you're still single!" I exclaim dramatically, propping my elbow on the table and holding my head with my hand. A couple people snicker while Knuckles full out laughs.

"Ha! I think I like her." He grins at me. Sonic glares at him, then at me.

"I thought Amara was the rude one."

"She is, until I meet someone I don't like that is." I say. "Especially if they kidnap and continually insult me."

"You can't be spoiled forever princess." He gives me a cold smirk.

"Never was." I mutter to myself, deciding to let the conversation with him end. By this time everyone is finished eating. Vector stands to gather the dishes.

"No Vector, I'll get it. I still have to finish the dishes." I tell him and I begin to gather the dishes.

"Let me help you then." Vector reaches for some dishes.

"No, this is her job. You just relax Vector." Sonic motions Vector to sit.

"Sonic, let her be. She's been working all day!" Blaze frowns at him.

"It's good for her. Maybe princess here will learn some actual work ethic." He shrugs.

"Oh yeah, because I'm just a useless rich girl." I say in a hard voice. I'm tired, and I don't have the patience to take this right now. Sonic's eyes narrow. "I'm not smart, I can't clean, and I can't cook. What will I do with my life?" I say in a high-distressed voice. "Even Amara, my 'fake' best friend, can't teach me anything." I spit out.

Before Sonic can reply, Amara sighs dramatically. "Oh those hard, tiring days! The first time I invited Amy to clean with me, I taught her the basics to cleaning, then did my own thing. But, when I went and checked her work, everything was..." She leans in, like she has shocking news. "spotless!" Her tone sounding appalled. Silver snickers, then turns it into a cough once Sonic throws a glare at him. Amara leans back into her chair. "I know. I couldn't believe it either! I wouldn't give up though, so I had her come back at least once a week, hoping I'd break through. Unfortunately, to this day, she still leaves things spotless. I just don't know what to do!" She throws up her hands in fake exasperation.

"Shadow, would you shut her up?" Sonic demands.

"Why? I am amused." Shadow smirks. Sonic rolls his eyes.

"Just go do the dishes." He orders me.

"Hey Shadow, can I go help her? Please?" Amara asks, batting her eyelashes. Shadow smirks at her.

"Sure, I will even accompany you. I have to keep an eye on you, and I have nothing better to do right now." Amara stands and skips over to me, taking some dishes from my arms. Shadow follows behind us.

"It's been too long since I've talked to you Amy! Dumb pirates kept us too busy to even say 'hi'!" Amara exclaims.

"Hey." Shadow warns her.

"Don't worry Shadow, I included you too." She teases him. He narrows his eyes at her, but it's nothing like what he does to the others. This one is more playful. Hmm. Amara and I position ourselves at the two buckets, one to wash the dishes and the other to rinse them, while Shadow sits at a table on the other side of the room and plays solitaire. I begin to wash the dishes, Amara waiting to rinse and dry them.

"Loving all that leg skin by the way" She smirks at me.

"I knew you would." I roll my eyes playfully. She smiles.

"So, how was your day?"

"Well, I learned that Sonic is by far the worst person on this ship, that it is possible to sunburn, and that we're stuck here for another six days." I say in a fake cheery voice.

Amara groans. "Ugh! That's too long, but it's not like we can escape. I'll take my chances here over walking the plank."

"Especially since you don't seem to mind Shadow." I casually say.

"Ye-hey! What's that supposed to mean?" She cocks an eyebrow.

"I've seen you mean before, and you haven't been too mean to Shadow."

"Being mean would just make life harder." She states.

"It certainly would." Shadow says from across the room, still playing cards. Amara whips around.

"Hey! Private conversation here!" She scolds him.

"An interesting one too." He smirks at her. She turns back around, a red tint on her cheeks. She's blushing?

"Amara." I grab her arm, serious now. "Don't forget he helped kidnap us and forced you to be a slave." I whisper.

"Why would I forget that?" She whispers back, confused.

"Because if I remember correctly, you seemed to have an interest in Shadow before all this." Her ears slightly lower.

"That was before though."

I nod. "Just making sure you know. The last thing you want is to get a broken heart from a pirate." I quietly warn her.

"I could say the same to you too you know." She looks slyly at me. My eyes widen.

"What?"

"Oh come on. You looked pretty friendly with 'Leonard' before this too you know."

"That was before I discovered he was nothing but a two-faced liar." I growl. She chuckles. "What?" I demand.

"You really hate him. It's going to be so much fun to see you bite his head off." She chuckles again. I smile. It will be fun.

"I agree." Shadow says from right behind us.

"Ahh!" Both Amara and I scream and jump.

"Shadow! Don't sneak up like that!" Amara pushes him away, making him move only two steps. "And quit eavesdropping! It's rude!" She scowls.

"I am a pirate." He smirks, clearly amused.

"Which also means you need a bath." She smirks darkly. She suddenly dumps a cup full of water on Shadows head. His eyes widen in surprise. I laugh at the soaked ebony hedgehog. "Hmph." Amara points her nose in the air and continues to rinse dishes.

Shadow's eyes fill with mischief. Before I can warn Amara, Shadow suddenly grabs her and puts her in a headlock.

"Gah! Shadow! Let go!" Shadow ignores the squirming Amara and fills a cup full of water. He slowly pours it from the top if her head and down her back. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" She shrieks, squirming harder. Abruptly, he lets her go, and Amara lands on her bottom. I can't help but snicker at the hilarious sight before me.

"That should teach you." Shadow shakes the water from his quills, getting some water on me and even more on Amara.

"Hey watch it!" I exclaim. Amara stands.

"Reminds me of hedges surrounding a house, right Amy?" It takes me a second to remember: our code phrase for when we plan to ambush one of her unsuspecting siblings.

"Yeah, it does." I nod, letting her know I understand.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Shadow crinkles his eyebrows in confusion.

"Long story." Amara shrugs, and she acts like she's going back to washing the dishes. I get next to her. I grab two big cups and she positions herself. "Okay." She whispers. "Now!" I plunge my cups into the water, filling them, while Amara tackles Shadow, who was fortunately caught off guard, to the ground.

"Oof!" Amara wastes no time and pins down his arms. I run up and begin to pour the water over him, getting every dry spot I can. "Hey! Let go of me! Now! I command y-" I pour some water in his face to shut him up. "S-stop!" He sputters.

Amara, who was laughing her head off since I started pouring, started to lose her grip. "I... can't... hold on... much longer!" She gasps between laughs. Suddenly her grip comes loose and she squeals, "Retreat!" In the couple seconds it takes Shadow to get up, Amara and I are already out the door, running for our dear lives.

Laughing too hard, neither Amara nor I saw Sonic until we ran right into him, knocking both of us, and him, down.

"Hey! What's all this racket?" Sonic growls, sitting up.

"Umm..." Amara and I look at each other. We suddenly hear quick, approaching footsteps.

"Can't explain!" Amara shouts and begins to flee again. Shadow flies by Sonic and me, and he catches up to Amara. He then scoops her up bridal-style and zooms, with the shrieking Amara, into his cabin.

Sonic and I sit there for a few seconds, not sure what to say or do. I finally stand. "We, uh, got into a water fight with Shadow." I twiddle my fingers, preparing for my scolding.

"You girls did all that to him?" He asks, standing as well, with an amused smirk beginning to form. Unable to hide my amusement, I grin and nod. Sonic laughs. "Maybe I should have him watch you two more often." He chuckles.

"You should have seen his face." I giggle. Sonic chuckles and looks at me. He looks nice when he genuinely smiles. Realizing we're just standing there, looking at each other, I clear my throat. "I should probably go back and finish those dishes." I turn.

"It's alright. You can leave them. They haven't been washed in a long time, so what's one more day?" I look at him in surprise. He rubs the back of his head. "You did work a lot today, and it wouldn't do me any good if I worked you to death." His usual smirk returns.

"No, I suppose not." I cross my arms and look at the wooden floor.

"You sleeping in the cell again?" I nod. "Come on then, let's get you to bed princess." I roll my eyes. Looks like he found a nickname for me too.

**Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Christian Wolf27****, ****Hphantom6****, thanks for the reviews!**

**I own Amara and this story. Sega or Archie own the other characters. **

**Chapter 4**

**Sonic's P.O.V. **

"Wake up!" I holler at the sleeping Amy and I open her cell door. She bolts upright, rubbing her eyes, and frowns at me.

"It's not necessary to yell at me like that you know." She grumbles.

"Oh, sorry Princess. Whatever makes you happy." I mock bow. She rolls her eyes. I straighten up and toss her a new dress. I turn around to let her change. "I've decided that since you seem to know so much about cooking, you can help Vector prepare the meals. Then you can help my crew when you're not busy in the kitchen." She steps out of the cell, into my line of vision. The dress is colored a solid sky blue this time. Not too bad of a color for her.

"Yes sir!" She salutes sarcastically.

"Atta girl." I smirk, ignoring her attitude. We go above deck. Amy sees Amara and turns to go in that direction. "A-tut-tut." I grab her shoulder and steer her in the kitchen's direction. "To making breakfast you go." She groans, casting me an annoyed look as she goes to the kitchen. I turn and make my way to the steering wheel to relieve Shadow from his turn of steering. As I near, I catch him watching Amara as she observes the ocean.

"Enjoying the view Shads?" I grin at him. He moves his gaze to me, now glaring. I push on. "I'm surprised you haven't slept with her yet." I cock an eyebrow at him. "She not good enough for you? Lost interest? Find out something disturbing about her?" His jaw clenches.

"Sonic. Shut. Up." He growls. I put my hands up.

"Just trying to solve the mystery." I shrug. I do back off, however, and take over the wheel. I actually didn't care why he hasn't slept with Amara yet, I was just messing with him, but now that he got that riled up, I'm now curious. Is there something going on between those two?

"Here." A plate of scrambled eggs and bacon suddenly appears in front of my face. I look and find Amy holding it. I take the plate. This is the one meal where we all don't eat together. It's too early to be around everyone like that.

"Thanks." She arches an eyebrow in surprise. "What? I can have manners." I say defensively.

"I couldn't have guessed." She smirks. It softens. "You're welcome though." I step away from the steering wheel.

"Here, take the wheel." I tell her. Her eyes widen.

"What?"

"Take the wheel." I repeat. "I don't like to eat and steer at the same time."

"But I've never steered a boat before." She eyes the wheel fearfully. I roll my eyes.

"It's simple. Just hold it straight." I grab her hand and wrap it around one of the steering spokes. I step back and watch as she tightly grips the wheel with both hands.

"This is it?" She asks after a few moments. "I'm sailing?"

"You're sailing." I smirk, amused by how amazed she is by this. She looks back at me, a wide smile on her face.

"I'm sailing!" She squeals, her jade eyes sparkling. I chuckle, shaking my head. I eat my breakfast while Amy happily steers the ship. She sure does a good job acting like she isn't like other rich people. If I didn't know better, I'd say she might actually care about others' well-being. But I do.

"Cap'n!" Charmy suddenly shouts from the crows nest. I look up. "Another ship is heading this way!" He points starboard. I put down my dishes and pull out my telescope to look at the approaching vessel. It's _The Black Tide_.

"Ah damn it! Now?!" I put away my telescope. They're too close for us to shake off. I turn and cup my hands around my mouth. "It's Rengash! Drop anchor and arm yourselves!"

"Who's Rengash?" Amy asks as my crew hustles about.

"He's a sneaky, pain-in-the-ass, stereotypical pirate who constantly gets in the way, always asking for help raiding something." I growl. What's the point of being Captain if you have to almost always ask for help pillaging other ships?

"Remind you of anyone?" She mutters lowly. I glare at her.

"Watch it." I catch sight of an ebony hedgehog. "Shadow! Get Amy below deck and into a cell." He nods.

Amy eyes the approaching ship. Her gaze flicks over to me. "Be careful." She turns and walks away. Surprised, I watch as Shadow also takes Amara below deck with Amy. She's faking it. People like her don't care about what happens to people like me... right?

Remembering Rengash, I shake me head clear of my thoughts. I'll figure out that pink hedgehog later. I go into my cabin and retrieve my cutlass. In my opinion, this curved sword is a lot better than the classic straight-edge. I also grab my pistol and some bullets and slide them onto my belt. I go back on deck and find all of my crew armed and ready. One thing that I pride myself in is I made sure every single person on my crew knows how to fight, even Charmy.

We stand there and watch as _The Black Tide _catches up to us and pulls broadside to my ship. The raccoon captain, none other than Rengash, stands on the side of _The Black Tide_, the side closest to my ship, with his crew right behind him. There is a little over twice as many people in his crew than in mine, they are all dressed like you would expect pirates to dress, and they are just as filthy as you'd expect too.

"Ahoy there Cap'n Sonic! Long time no see!" He grins. Ugh. I hate how he speaks.

"It sure has been Rengash. What do you need now?"

"What? Can't I come 'n catch up with ye?" He mocks being hurt.

"Now now Rengash. How long have I known you? When have you ever come just to 'catch up'?"

"How 'bout now? I'd like ta know why the royalty is offerin' a big reward fer yer head."

"Beats me. Maybe they're finally tired of looking like fools." I say indifferently. "What are they offering?"

"Two million rings." Damn. That's four times bigger than my guess.

"Huh. I did recently take down one of their ships. Maybe it was more important than I thought."

He scratches his chin. "Hmm. Maybe." Then he grins wickedly, showing off his rotten teeth. "Or maybe tis because ye kidnapped the prince's bride." Son of a- "Did ye really think the royals would keep it a secret ta prevent people from panicking? Everybody knows. 'N everybody is lookin' for ye too." He smiles smugly. "Now, I'm gonna give ye two options here: I take yer head in 'n get me reward, or ye can give me two-thirds of the ransom ye will receive."

"Rengash," I warn. "You know neither of those are an option for me. I don't want this to end violently."

"I know," He pulls put his sword. "but every truce has ta end some time. Fire!" A cannon sounds and my ship shudders. Rengash's crew begins to board my ship, using planks and their rigging to cross.

"Attack!" I pull out my sword and our own cannon sounds. I prefer not to kill people, but sometimes I've no choice. One thing that I absolutely refuse to do, though, is kill the innocent. I'll hurt them if they are foolish and don't know any better, but I won't kill them. Rengash and his crew are definitely not innocent.

I stab a bull through the stomach and go to Tails' aid, since he is outnumbered, two-to-one. I sneak up behind a badger and stab him through his chest. Hearing his comrade's gurgled breath, the leopard snaps his gaze over to the fallen badger and me. The leopard now distracted, Tails jumps up with his sword and slices his throat with a spin.

"You okay?" I ask Tails.

"Yeah." He nods, pain from taking a life is in his eyes as he looks up from the body. Then his eyes widen in alarm the same time I hear the swoosh of a blade coming at me from behind. I duck and spin my sword around, slicing half-way through a porcupine's leg.

"Gah!" The porcupine falls to his knees, and I stab him through the chest. A different body suddenly falls beside me. I look up at the rigging and discover Silver to be responsible. He loosens a rope.

"Hi ho Silver, away!" He swings himself onto _The Black Tide_ and continues fighting.

I shake my head before I scan the crowd of fighting pirates, looking for Rengash. My eyes fall on the wide-open doors leading below deck. He's after Amy. I speed down and go to the prison cells. I arrive and find both cells empty. My ears twitch as I hear grunting and metal clashing. I follow the sounds and go to the supplies room. There I find Amara with a sword, probably from one of my crew members' rooms, Amy with a sledge hammer, and Rengash fending the both of them off with two swords.

Just as I'm about to jump in and take care of Rengash, Amara manages to slip past Rengash's sword and cut his side. It's not fatal, but it's enough for her to get Rengash's attention. That's when Amy swings the hammer with all her might, eyes closed, and lands the blow on Rengash's head. A sickening crunch is heard, and he falls to the ground, dead.

Amy opens her eyes and blankly looks at the twitching body. Then her eyes widen, realizing what she has done. Her face pales as she drops the hammer, and she begins to tremble. Amara is in no shape to comfort her friend. She's just standing there: pale, motionless, and in shock. This is obviously their first time seeing and playing a part in someone dying.

Seeing she's seconds from going into hysterics, I go to comfort Amy. "Hey," I say softly, wrapping my right arm around her shaking shoulders. "it's alright. You had no choice." A choked sob escapes her lips. She suddenly wraps her arms around my torso and buries her face in my chest, sobbing. Caught off guard, I stand there for a few seconds. Then I wrap my arms around her and soothingly rub her back. "Shh. It's okay." I whisper to her repeatedly.

I hear approaching footsteps and I tense, not sure if they're friend or foe. Then I hear Knuckles' voice. "Sonic! We've got 'em all! Where are you?"

"Supplies room!" I shout to him, still holding the sobbing Amy. Knuckles bursts in and beholds the sight before him: Rengash's body, a motionless Amara, and me comforting Amy.

"What happened?" He asks.

"Later. Right now I need you to get Blaze." My gaze flicks over to Amara. "Shadow too." He nods and leaves the room.

A few minutes pass before I hear more footsteps, Amy crying regularly now. Shadow is the first to enter the room, Blaze and Knuckles right behind him.

"What happened?" He demands once he sees the still-shocked Amara. With difficulty, I gently pry myself from Amy and walk over to them.

"Rengash tried going after Amy himself. I came down here once I realized he wasn't above deck and found Amy and Amara trying to fend him off. Amara managed to distract him at the same moment Amy swung the hammer at him. She hit his head, instantly killing him. And to top it all off, this is the first time they've seen, and been a part of, someone's death." I tell them lowly, making sure neither Amy nor Amara can hear me.

"The first time is always the hardest." Knuckles lowers his head in understanding. I nod in agreement.

"Blaze, I need you to take care of and calm Amy down, and Shadow-" My sentence gets cut off as he walks past me and goes straight to Amara. He wraps his left arm around her stiff shoulders and begins to talk lowly to her. "...yeah. That." I finish. I turn to Knuckles. "Let's go see if there's anything useful on Rengash's ship." I lead the way. As we exit the room, I see Tails pass by, hurrying to who-knows-where.

"Hey Tails!" The yellow fox stops and looks back at me. "What's the damage?"

"We only got hit by three cannon balls. Nothing serious, but it could be if I don't go now." Tails is bouncing on the balls of his feet, anxious to go.

"Well why didn't you say so sooner? Go on then." He runs off. Knuckles and I continue walking. Once we are above deck, I see all of my crew is still alive, and they are already half-way through cleaning up all the bodies and blood. Knuckles and I go over one of the planks connecting the ships and we begin searching for goods. We don't find very much; we either already had a lot of it, or it was too disgusting to use, like their food. We even only found a small chest of gold, enough to last me and my crew a week in a town. For a pirate, that's pretty broke.

As I near the end of my search for goods below deck, I find the prison cells. Inside one of them is a huddled-up figure. "Hey Knuckles! We've got a prisoner down here!" I holler at him. Wherever he is.

"Sonic? Is that you?" A female voice asks. I whip my head around and see the figure standing up. My eyes widen in recognition.

"Tikal? What are you doing here?" The orange echidna smiles, happy to see a friendly face. I hear Knuckles footsteps. He steps around the corner, coming into view, and stops dead in his tracks at the sight of Tikal.

"Tikal! What are you doing here? Are you hurt? Did any of those bastards touch you? I swear I'll-"

"I'm fine, brother. Rengash was going to try to use me to make Father give him the emerald in exchange for my life." She explains.

"Ha! As if that would work." Knuckles spits out bitterly. Tikal's lips press tightly together.

"Hey, how about you bust this cell open? I don't know where the keys are." I suggest, trying to distract him. When it comes to his and Tikal's Father, Umdir, Knuckles tends to get a bit riled up.

"Sure. Stand back Tikal." She does, and he slams his fist onto the lock. It shatters and Tikal's cell door opens. "Come on." He offers her his hand and leads her back to the ship once she takes it. Yeesh, poor Tikal. I'm not nearly this protective when it come to my sister. I focus back on my search.

"Eh. I've searched long enough." I go over to one of the casks holding gun powder and open one. Using the powder, I pour out a line, making it long enough to give us enough time to sail away. I light a match and set the trail on fire. I zoom back to my ship.

"We're leaving!" I loudly announce, making sure no one is left behind on_ The Black Tide_. I grab the wheel.

"Hang on, I'm almost done with the repairs." Tails says as he pops his head up from below deck. I rub the back of my head.

"Yeah... I might've gotten ahead of myself." I smile sheepishly. He face-palms.

"Agh, Sonic! Ever heard of communication?! Ugh. Just go. It'll be okay."

"Unfurl the sails! Lift anchor!" I order. Luckily, we have some good winds.

Once we are at least a mile away, Rengash's ship explodes, debris scattering everywhere into the ocean.

"Okay, we're good. We can stop and you can finish your repairs Tails."

"After I get rid of that excess water, you mean." He grumbles, going back below deck. I chuckle. Shadow's cabin door opens behind me and Shadow steps out, softly closing it behind him.

"What are you up to Shads?" I arch an eyebrow.

"Giving Amara some space." He states. I forgot about her and Amy.

"How's she doing?"

"She is no longer in shock."

"That's good. I should go check on Amy. Tikal too."

"Tikal is here?"

"Oh yeah. Rengash had Tikal as a prisoner. She's onboard now." He nods in acknowledgement. I go below deck and go to Silver and Blaze's room first. I softy knock on the door.

"Come in." Blaze says. I open the door to find Amy and Blaze seated side-by-side on her bed. "Hello Sonic."

"Hey." I look at Amy. "So, how are you?" I ask awkwardly. Amy just shrugs a shoulder.

"I think she'll be fine." Blaze smiles warmly at Amy and pats her on the shoulder. Amy gives her a small smile in return.

"Is Amara okay?" Amy looks at me.

"Shadow said she's no longer in shock and that she needs her space right now."

"Good." She nods in understanding. An awkward silence fills the room.

"Well... I'm going to go check on Tikal."

"Wait, Tikal's here?" Blaze asks.

"Yeah. Instead of repeating this over and over again, I'll let her explain everything at lunch." I shrug lazily.

Blaze rolls her eyes. "Figures." I smirk and leave the room. I go to Knuckles and Rouge's room, assuming that's where Tikal is. I knock on the door and hear Knuckles' gruff reply.

"What?" I open the door and see that I'm correct; Tikal is here, as well as Knuckles.

"Geez Patches. Don't sound too happy." I smirk. Tikal smiles in amusement.

"Patches?"

Knuckles groans. "It's just Sonic's stupid, uncreative nickname for me."

"Hey. It's short, simple, and it bugs you. It's perfect." I snicker.

"What do you want?" He glares at me.

"Just wanted to make sure Tikal here is alright." I turn to her. "You can share your story at lunch, when everyone is there." Right on cue, the bell sounds, signaling lunch is ready. "Which is now." Man does time fly.

Everyone goes above deck and helps set up the table. For lunch, we get Vector's famous sandwiches and some biscuits. The sandwiches are loaded with meats, cheese, and vegetables. This is the one meal that I want only Vector to make, no one else.

As we eat, I make observations. Everyone is in a kind of somber mood. No one here really likes killing people, but we do what we have to. Amara is seated next to Shadow and, except for the haunted look in her eyes, looks normal. Amy is seated next to Blaze instead of Amara, much to my surprise, and she looks both mentally and physically spent.

"Okay Tikal," I say once she has finished eating. "tell us what happened."

"Well, yesterday started out as a normal day in the village, but then Rengash and his crew came in and started to cause havoc. I went to confront them with some others, but he grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder, kidnapping me. After being locked in that cell, he told me he'll convince my father to hand over the Master Emerald by threatening my life. We were actually on our way to Chaos Island when Rengash spotted this ship. He said he thought it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Sonic found me after the fight, when he was checking the ship for anything useful, and here I am." That slimy worm. He already had a plan to get money, but he still had the nerve to try and threaten me out of two-thirds of my ransom.

"Hmm." I rub my chin. "Hey Espio, you're good at time management and that stuff. Do we have enough time to go to Orchid Valley?" The purple chameleon thinks about it.

"If you take a day off from our stay in Dascoun." He answers.

"I can handle that." I look at Tikal. "We'll take you back home and leave the next day."

"Thank you Sonic. I appreciate it." She smiles at me.

"Not a problem."

**_Hi ho Silver, away!_****\- dedicated to those Ace Ventura fans! XD**

**Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! Sorry about the long wait! If it's any consolation, the end to my other story is nearing, so once it's over I will be able to make weekly updates on this!**

**SAgotogether****,**** Dave the Gay****, ****DragonTooth24006****, ****WorldOfSpeed****, thanks for the reviews!**

**I own Amara and this story. Sega or Archie own the other characters. **

**Chapter 5**

**Amy's P.O.V.**

After helping put away the table, I spot Amara gazing out at the sea over by the side-railing, lost in thought. I go stand beside her and look at the ocean as well.

"How are you?" I ask her. She chuckles humorlessly.

"I should be the one asking you that. I'm not the one that killed him." I flinch. She notices and lowers her ears. "Sorry. I'm just saying, you have more reason to not be okay than I do."

"But you still have a reason." I point out. She sighs.

"I'm fine Amy. It's just... seeing that made me realize how short life is, how I can die at any time, and how I've done nothing with my life. Nothing. I still live with my parents, I've yet to be in a serious relationship, and I haven't seriously thought about my future." She slumps on the rail. Oh. Well, I guess it's good she wasn't really traumatized from earlier.

"Don't worry. You'll get it all figured out, and once you do, all this waiting will have been worth it." I say comfortingly. She looks at me with a soft smile.

"I sure hope so." She straightens. "I've told you my issues. Now, how are you?" I look away.

"I'm managing." From the corner of my eye, I see her just standing there, looking at me, waiting for me to elaborate. I sigh and flatten my ears. "I never meant to... kill him." I whisper. "I was just trying to get him away." I feel her hand on my shoulder.

"You did what you had to. Anyone else would've done the same."

"Would they? Or would they be smart and just wound him and render him helpless?" Amara steps back and looks back at the ocean.

"I guess it doesn't matter what I tell you. This is your guilt, and you've got to figure out how to either get rid of it, or live with it. Just know that no one thinks what you did was unnecessary or cruel. No one." She walks away, leaving me to my thoughts.

How can she know that? She didn't talk to every single person on this ship. And it doesn't matter what she says? Of course it does! She's my best friend! She's supposed to be able to comfort me! More than somebody that I barely know anyways. Blaze calmed me down a lot more than Amara just did.

Ugh. I need something to do. Something to clear my mind, or at least silence it. I look around and see there is still some damage and cleaning to do on the ship. Perfect.

**XXXXX**

"Amy, I don't know how I survived before you came here." Vector plops down on a kitchen chair, now done cleaning up after dinner, while I finish washing the dishes. "How will I handle all this once you're gone?"

"Oh don't worry. I'll make sure to teach you everything I know about seasoning before I go. As for the dishes... well, I wish you luck on that one." I snicker.

"Gee. That's comforting." He says sarcastically. "Here," He jumps up and walks over to me. "I'll take care of the last of these dishes. You go on and get some sleep. You've had a long day." He takes the drying towel from me, giving me the same look of sympathy that I've been getting all day. I plaster a smile on my face.

"Alright. Thanks Vector." He nods.

"Night Amy."

"Goodnight." I walk out onto the moonlit deck and go to the side-railing of the ship. Now that it's almost time for bed, I don't have anything I can do, resulting in my earlier, troubled thoughts to come back and torment my mind.

"Hey." I jump and whirl around. "Easy. It's just me." Sonic smirks with his hands up.

"Of course." I roll my eyes and turn back to the sea.

"You okay? You look exhausted and annoyed, not a good combo." He comes up besides me.

"It's been a long day." I rub my temple. I glance at him. "Thank you for, uh, comforting me earlier." The memory of his arms wrapped around me, holding me against his chest and from the brink of insanity, flashes in my mind. I blush, but thankfully he doesn't notice. He shrugs.

"Wouldn't do me any good if Prince Scourge found his girl mentally scarred, now would it?" I scowl. Of course he acted out of selfishness rather than actual concern. "You're welcome though." He adds softly. I thought I had a headache before...

"So. What's on your mind?" He asks me. I arch an eyebrow at him. "If you tell someone what's on your mind, then the easier it'll be to clear it." He explains.

"And what makes you think I should tell you?"

"Cause you're not telling anyone else, including your '_best friend_', and like I said earlier, Scourge wouldn't be pleased to find you mentally unhealthy." He leans against the side-railing and crosses his arms. He's not going anywhere. I groan. Well, if I at least say it out loud I might be able to work out this tangle of thoughts in my head.

"If you're going through a tough time and someone basically tells you that it doesn't matter what they tell you and that you have to comfort yourself, are they giving you good advice or do they not care what you're going through?"

"Let me guess, Shadow told you that."

"No, Amara did."

"Yikes. I think she's spending too much time with Shadow then." Sonic shakes his head.

"No, Amara has always been that blunt." I smile softly.

"Well, then think about it. Was there anything that she could've said that would've made your guilt disappear?"

"... Not really."

"So does it really matter what she tells you? This is a matter of whether or not you accept what you did, not what others think of it." He's right, and so is Amara. I'm stupid for thinking otherwise. Of course she cares, unlike him.

"You know," Sonic says. "Rengash and his crew killed whenever they could, while my crew and I kill when we need to. The way he died was a lot quicker and less painful than he deserved, and you've saved quite a few lives just by removing him from the picture. Just thought you should know." He shrugs. "I'm actually surprised you were able to swing that hammer that hard."

"It was the only weapon I thought I could use." I whisper. I could've grabbed a sword, like Amara did, but I had no idea how to use it without it getting in my way, so I grabbed the hammer.

"Well, not bad Princess."

"You know what?" Frustrated, I whirl towards him, and he braces himself. "Teach me how to fight."

"Wait, what?" He asks, bewildered.

"Teach me how to fight." I repeat. "I am sick and tired of being weak. Tired of depending on others. I've been depending on other people all my life. If I'm going to be Queen, then I need to stop my dependency right now." He gives me a scrutinizing look.

"You'll only be able to learn a some things before I trade you back to Scourge." He points out.

"Better than what I know now: nothing." I look directly into his eyes, showing my determination. He looks at me for a few moments.

"Alright Princess," He smirks. "I'll teach ya. But you better be ready to work like you've never worked before."

"I can handle it." I raise my chin. He snorts.

"Okay. We'll start early tomorrow morning, and, depending on things go, hopefully later tomorrow night too."

"Okay." A few moments of silence passes.

"Well," he straightens up. "it's time for bed. Bed or cot?"

"Why ask every time? I'm sure you can guess my answer. And why are you even offering your bed to me in the first place?" I look at him suspiciously.

"I'm not a cruel person you know. I know how uncomfortable those cots can be, and I'm the one that needs to watch you when your out of the cell." He says defensively. "And why ask you every time? Well, things can change." He shrugs and begins to walk over to the descending stairs. I slowly follow, dread suddenly surfacing as flashes of what happened the last time I went down there cross my mind. Sonic looks back over his shoulder and stops at seeing my distress.

"You don't have to go back down there you know. I promise I won't try anything." He says gently. An actual bed does sound nice, and, as much as I hate admitting it, I don't want to be left alone right now. I'll just scratch his eyes out if he tries anything. The thought lightens my moods a little.

"Alright, fine." I sigh, slumping my shoulders in defeat. Instead of smirking at me in triumph, like I expected, he smiles warmly and leads me to his cabin.

His cabin is a little bigger than Silver and Blaze's is, and it has the basic necessities of a room: a bed, a dresser, and a closet. There is one window, showing only the vast ocean, and not very many personal possessions.

"You want the left or right side?" He asks. My eyes widen.

"We're sleeping in the same bed?"

"Duh. You think it's fun sleeping on the floor? Let me tell ya, that's the closest I'll ever get to being seasick." He starts to undress, leaving only his pants on. Seeing his abdomen, I can't believe I didn't notice his six-pack when he held me earlier.

"Impressed?" He smirks slyly at me. I snap out of my trance and quickly scowl at him before turning away to remove only my shoes, hiding my burning face. You are not impressed Amy. You have a fiancé for goodness sakes! A loving, handsome fiancé! You're just surprised is all. That's it.

I hear him chuckle and the sheets crinkle as he climbs underneath the covers. I straighten up after removing my shoes and hesitantly climb in the left side of the bed, laying as close to the edge as I possibly can.

"Just so you know, I'm a very light sleeper." He blows out the candle, darkness now filling the room. "Night Princess." He yawns.

"Night." I mumble, sleep already overtaking me.

**XXXXX**

I wake up to some shifting beside me. I crack open my eyes enough to see through window the sun just beginning to rise outside. I sigh and roll over. I find myself practically nose-to-nose with Sonic, who's looking right at me.

"Mornin'." He grins.

"EEP!" I squeal and fling myself back, forgetting just how close to the edge of the bed I am. I land hard on my back on the floor. "Ow." I groan. Can I wake up on this ship normally? Just once?

Sonic looks at me from over the edge I just fell over. "I don't have that bad of morning breath, do I?" He snickers.

"It's not as bad as your face." I fake shudder.

"Hey!" He scowls. "You're gonna pay for that one." He goes over to his closet and grabs another dress for me, this time colored lavender.

"Where do you get these dresses?"

"Rouge and Blaze make them. They apparently get '_bored_'." He tosses me the new dress. "Get ready, you've got some training to do." He smirks mischievously. Maybe having him train me wasn't such a good idea.

**XXXXX**

"Goodness Amy! You look like you didn't get an ounce of sleep!" Rouge exclaims as I walk over to her and an orange echidna that I am guessing is Tikal.

"Sonic has been training me how to fight since sunrise." I grumble. "You'd think that for my first session he'd go easy or at least not so long, right? No. He made me train for three hours! All my limbs feel like noodles, and almost every move I make hurts."

"Ouch." She grimaces.

"He also sent me off to work right away. So, is there anything you want me to do?" I ask wearily.

"Damn, girl. Well, you can stick with me and Tikal here and pretend to be busy. There isn't much I need to do since we'll be at Chaos Island in about an hour."

"Thanks Rouge." I smile appreciatively at her. She shrugs.

"Sonic can be pretty intense when it comes to training. He can also be a hot-head." She smirks. I grin. Now that I've spent some time with them, everyone here is actually pretty nice. Even Sonic is a little nicer compared to my first day here. A little.

Regardless of Rouge offering to cover for me so I can rest, I still help her with her chores and pack some supplies for the crew for when we visit Tikal's village. I even forced myself to go back below deck. It wasn't as bad as I feared, but it's still enough to make me uncomfortable. I've yet to talk to Amara; I'm rather embarrassed by the attitude I had yesterday. Tikal is very nice, and basically the opposite of her brother. She is quiet, polite, and I can already tell she deeply cares for others well-being.

"Chaos Island, port side!" Charmy suddenly shouts from the crows nest. The three of us go above deck and watch as the green island called Chaos Island grows larger as the ship nears.

"Home sweet home." Knuckles grumbles under his breath as I come up beside him. I can't help but shoot him a questioning look as Rouge comfortingly rubs his arm and Tikal looks straight-faced at the island. What's that about?

"Why would Rengash kidnap Tikal from here and take her on his ship, only to bring her right back?" I ask.

"So the people couldn't come rescue her and so he'd give Umdir, our father, enough time to think." Knuckles explains.

"Oh, I see." Sonic sails the ship as near as he can get to the island before dropping anchor, and we all take the lifeboats the rest of the way.

"Oh, wow." I gasp once I'm ashore. Now that I'm closer, I can see the fine and white sand, and the lusciously green jungle before us.

"You've got that right." Amara gapes besides me. Maybe now would be a good time to talk. I open my mouth to speak, but Sonic beats me to it.

"Alright. Shadow, bring up the rear and keep an eye on Amy and Amara here." He then looks at us.

"Unless you feel like you can handle all the wild and dangerous creatures that's in this jungle, I suggest not running away from us." Sonic walks to the front of the group and pulls out his sword. He starts to cut a path through the jungle, and the rest of us follow behind him in a line: Tikal, Knuckles, Rouge, Tails, Blaze, Silver, Charmy, Vector, Espio, me, Amara, and Shadow.

"Is it really necessary to cut away all these plants?" Amara grimaces as we walk through the dense jungle. Like me, she cares for plant life.

"Only if you do not want to constantly get smacked in the face by these large, rough leaves." Shadow answers from behind us. "Do not worry though, they grow back quickly."

"Good." I say. I glance at Amara and speak before I can back out. "I'm sorry about yesterday." She looks at me confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"I was snippy with you, and at one point I even doubted if you actually cared about what I went through." I flatten my ears in shame. "So, I am sorry for not being the great friend like you are to me."

"Oh Amy." She shakes her head. "You are a wonderful friend. I knew you were going through things yesterday. I'm just glad you're alright now." She smiles with relief at me.

"So we're okay?" I ask nervously.

"There was never a point were we weren't." She winks. I grin happily and loop my arm through hers. That wasn't nearly as bad as I feared.

"Hold it." Sonic suddenly commands, ears twitching at different sounds.

"What is it?" Tails whispers. All of a sudden, the surrounding jungle bursts with life. Figures covered with leaves and paint step out from their hiding spots and surround us, wooden spears pointed at us. We put up our hands.

"Them." He answers.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Crap. It's been a little over a month since I've updated. Sorry! So much for my 'no longer than three weeks' rule... :P**

**Dave the Gay, The Reader, arianahewitt, BlackButler181, thanks for the reviews!**

**I own Amara and this story. Sega or Archie own the other characters.**

**Chapter 6**

**Sonic's P.O.V.**

Tikal steps ahead of me and addresses the figure in front of me. "Kreed, tell your men to lower their weapons. Surely you remember Captain Sonic and our peace with him?" He better remember, I give his tribe gold once a month!

"My apologies." Kreed looks at me while lowering his spear, the others following suit. "I did not recognize you at first."

"No, you were just looking for a reason to show off." Knuckles steps up besides me, a smirk on his face.

"Well well well. Look who we have here!" Kreed removes his leaf-covered headgear, revealing a violet echidna around Knuckles' age. "Long time no see Knuckles! Too bad you can only see half of me." He gestures to Knuckles' eyepatch with his own smirk.

"Still a funny guy. I bet the ladies are still all over you like they were when we were younger." Knuckles says sarcastically. The other figures snicker and remover their headgear as well, all of them echidnas. Kreed glares at Knuckles before grinning and walks over to him.

"I thought I would never see you again. I am glad to be wrong." Kreed shakes Knuckles' hand.

"It's great to see you too, Kreed." Knuckles smiles. Rouge steps up besides Knuckles and loudly clears her throat. "Oh alright." Knuckles rolls his eyes at her. "Kreed, meet Rouge, my girlfriend, and Rouge, this is Kreed, my childhood best friend."

"A pleasure." She winks at Kreed and sticks out her hand.

"The pleasure is all mine." He takes her hand with a smile and kisses it.

"Alright, Kreed." Knuckles warns. Kreed chuckles and releases her hand.

"So," Kreed looks at me. "What brings you and your crew here?"

"Sonic and his crew rescued me from Rengash. They were bringing me back." Tikal answers.

"Also, my crew wanted to see your village." I add. I am usually the only one to go to the village when I drop off the gold, since it barely takes me any time with my speed, and from the way I've described it, they saw this as an opportunity to finally see the echidna tribe, the Peace Keepers, and their village.

"I see. Well, as a token of our gratitude for rescuing Tikal, allow us to escort you there." He looks at Knuckles with an arched eyebrow. "If you want, that is."

"Lead the way, Kreed." I gesture in front of me. He begins to walk, Tikal right besides him. As he talks with Tikal, I can't help but to notice the relief of her safety on his face. I look behind me at Knuckles and see his suspicious look as he eyes the pair. I slow my steps until I am besides him.

"Easy, Patches. They could be good friends." I tease. He rolls his eyes. "You sure you want to come? You still have the chance to back out you know." I say, serious now. Knuckles was banished from the village ten years ago. After I hired him to be my master gunner six years ago, Knuckles told me about his tribe and his old life there. Feeling bad that he hadn't seen his younger sister in four years, I offered to let Tikal come back with me when I made my drop-offs and let him spend time with her. That night I earned his unwavering loyalty and friendship, things that have proven to be useful time and time again.

I still remember their reunion. I talked to Tikal alone, telling her that her brother was back on my ship and that she was more than welcome to come back with me and visit him. The joy on her face was well worth it. That, and the look on Knuckles' face after seeing his sister for the first time after four years. It was one of the few times I've ever seen Knuckles cry.

Ever since that first visit, I'd bring Tikal back with me and let her stay as long as she'd want. It was usually a few days though, but I could see the longing to stay in her eyes. She'd never admit this to anyone, she's too loyal to her tribe, but I can tell she enjoys being away from her village. Like her father, however, Tikal puts duty before personal wants. I know Knuckles is aware that Tikal is the next likely candidate to being the emerald's guardian, but I think he is waiting for Umdir to either resign or pass away before he does anything about it.

If anything, I feel sorry for Tikal. She loves her father greatly. She understands and forgives Umdir for putting the Master Emerald first. Then there's her brother, who she also loves dearly. He wants her to be angry with Umdir too, but she can't. After realizing this, Knuckles backed off her, throwing bitter comments about Umdir here and there. Some day Knuckles will have to deal with all the problems he has with his family. I just hope it ends well-enough.

"Yeah. I need to see for myself that Tikal gets back safely." He says. However, I know he misses his old home and that he wants to see it again, but I don't point it out.

"You think Umdir will let you stay?"

"Don't know." He shrugs. We stay quiet and continue our trek to Orchid Valley, where the village is located.

The Peace Keepers guard a giant green emerald, known as the Master Emerald, and seven smaller emeralds called the Chaos Emeralds. They believe the Master Emerald is responsible for keeping the balance of good and evil in the world and that without it, complete and total chaos. The Chaos Emeralds are what they call, '_the servants of the Master Emerald_'.

Umdir was chosen by the Master Emerald to be the only one within the tribe who can consult with and use the magic within the emerald. He is also the one who guards it 24/7. This is where things get complicated. Umdir has always, and still does, taken his duty seriously. Not once has he ever left the Master Emerald's side since it chose him as its guardian. Not when he got married, not when his children were born, and not even to see his wife's burial after she died from an unknown illness.

Since he could remember, Knuckles has always disliked how dedicated Umdir was to the emerald. '_He shouldn't of had a family if he planned on spending the rest of his life guarding the Master Emerald_' Knuckles told me. As a kid, Knuckles always wanted to spend more time with his father, and he would ask Umdir to do just that, whether it'd be going fishing or even doing chores. Umdir always told him no, however, and that he has to guard the emerald.

As the years passed, Knuckles started to ask less and less, and he started to grow angrier with every decline Umdir made. Lily, Knuckles mother, had always managed to keep Knuckles' anger at bay, telling him that by Umdir protecting the emerald, he was also protecting them. While he doubted his mother's words, Knuckles contained his anger, just because of how happy Lily was. She loved Umdir deeply, and would tell Knuckles when he questioned if she really was happy, "_I knew what I was getting into when I married your father. I regret nothing_.' He even held his tongue when Umdir told him that the chances of Knuckles getting the honor to guard the emerald next was good. Knuckles hoped with every fiber of his being that it would not happen though. He didn't want that life.

His control only lasted until he was fifteen, however, when Lily died from an unknown illness. Umdir failed to show up at her burial, pushing Knuckles past his point of self-control. He stormed to the hut where Umdir was and yelled at him, releasing all his pent-up thoughts, and I mean EVERY thought, from why Umdir even had a family if he couldn't even be there for them, to he doubted if Umdir even loved Lily. Umdir lost his self-control too after Knuckles said that last one and punched Knuckles. Knuckles launched himself into the fight after that. Umdir of course won the fight, but from what I've gathered from Knuckles' vague description, he put up an impressive fight for a fifteen year-old.

Bruised and slightly bloodied, Knuckles looked Umdir straight in the eye and told him that he was leaving, to get away from him and to make sure he wouldn't be the next guardian and end up like him. Knuckles believes Umdir meant what he said next, but I have my doubts. Umdir is his father, regardless of his lack of involvement in Knuckles' life, and Knuckles had to have gotten his temper from somewhere, after all. Umdir called Knuckles a coward and a disgrace to the tribe, and to never come back. By this time, a crowd had formed from all the racket Knuckles and Umdir's fight had caused, ten-year-old Tikal right in front. Knuckles gave a crying Tikal a goodbye hug, knowing the tribe would look after her, and he left without a glance back.

And until today, he never returned.

We step out of the thick jungle and into a clearing, where the village is located. I don't care how many times I've seen this, the view always amazes me. A river of clear blue water runs to my left, the huts that tribe members visit a lot are in the clearing, and the homes of the echidnas are built into the treetops of the jungle. As we near, echidnas stop what they are doing and look at us in curiosity, whispering among themselves.

"Tikal is back!"

"She is safe!"

"Is that Knuckles too?"

"He certainly looks different."

"Captain Sonic," An unrecognizable yellow echidna walks up to me. "Chief Zarruk is waiting for you and your crew at the Master Emerald's hut. You may leave your things here." The echidna's eyes flick over to Knuckles, obviously remembering who he is. Putting down his pack, Knuckles ignores the look and follows Tikal and Kreed to the hut. We all put our packs down, excluding Espio, and we follow also. We walk to the center of the clearing, where a medium-sized hut is. We enter and my gaze is immediately drawn to the giant green emerald in the center. The tribe's chief, an older dark grey echidna named Zarruk, stands in front of it and next to a dark orange echidna I come to recognize as Umdir. I have only seen Umdir once, and that was during my first visit here. Knuckles is the spitting image if Umdir, with the exception of having Lily's purple eyes and his larger-than-normal knuckles.

"Captain Sonic, a pleasure to see you again and to finally meet your crew." Zarruk nods to me.

"Always a pleasure to be here." I half bow. A throat clears. We all look back.

"We," Amy sets her hand on Amara's shoulder. "are NOT a part of his crew. Sonic kidnapped us." She glares triumphantly at me, thinking she will be saved now.

"Oh?" Zarruk looks at me.

"Yes I did." I nod in confirmation, giving Amy a sly grin. Her confident look wavers. "Chief Zarruk, I present to you Miss Amelia Rose, Prince Scourge's future bride, and her friend Amara Vipsin."

"His bride?" He observes Amy. "Captain Sonic, you cease to amaze me. This is quite an accomplishment." He shakes his head with a smile.

"It was a lot easier than I thought it would be." I reply.

"Wait, aren't you going to help us?" Amy asks Zarruk with eyes wide.

"Why would I? Obviously Captain Sonic is taking good-enough care of you, and because of you, he will be receiving a handsome amount of money from that cursed Royal family."

"What? But..." Amy's shoulders slump in defeat, realizing there's no hope of escaping here either. The sight gives me a twinge of guilt. I haven't seen her like this before; she has been nothing but stubborn and determined since the very beginning.

Umdir speaks up, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Thank you, Captain Sonic, for returning my daughter safely." Umdir smiles as Tikal walks up to him and gives him a reassuring hug.

"Anything for a friend." I smile back. "You will not have to worry about Rengash or his crew anymore. They are dead." I inform them.

"A shame about the wasted life, but they chose that road to walk on." Umdir dips his head in respect of the afterlife.

"I bet you're pleased you don't have to consider Rengash's ransom, but then, you probably already knew your choice." Knuckles coldly glares at Umdir, not bothering with the polite way to speak. I can't really blame him though, he had to be well-spoken the first fifteen years of his life. He really went crazy with the slang terms after he left. He almost spoke like a typical pirate. I quickly stopped him from doing that.

Umdir's blue eyes lock on Knuckles and returns the glare. "I thought I told you to never return."

"I only came to make sure Tikal returned safely." Knuckles crosses his arms.

"Why should you care? You abandoned her ten years ago." Knuckles' eyes flash with anger.

"I've seen her at least once a month these past six years!" Shock flashes across Umdir's face. Knuckles slowly turns to Tikal.

"You never told him where you were actually going, did you?" Tikal looks away, head bowed. Knuckles hurt expression turns cold. "I see. You didn't want to disappoint dear father by visiting your disgrace of a brother." Knuckles glares at the floor, missing Tikal's pained-filled glance at him. Rouge walks up to Knuckles and cups his cheek.

"You'll always have me though." She tells him softly. Knuckles gives her a small smile and wraps an arm around her waist, holding her close.

"If you'll excuse my interruption," I look at Zarruk and Umdir. "but Knuckles has been a part of my crew before you met me, and I ask your permission to let ALL of us stay the night here. If it is too much a problem, then we will all leave now." I say firmly, making it clear I go where Knuckles goes. I see Knuckles shoot me an appreciative look from the corner of my eye.

"Nonsense. You have saved Tikal and you are a friend. You may stay the night." Zarruk looks at Umdir, who is watching Knuckles.

"One night." He nods.

"Great. Tonight, we shall have a feast for all that you have done for us." Zarruk smiles at us.

"Thank you very much, Zarruk." I half bow again. "I also have your gold here." I gesture over to Espio. Espio steps up and hands Zarruk a large sac.

"Thank you. Now go and enjoy yourselves. I will send a couple of my people to help you get ready later this evening." We all exit the tent, leaving Zarruk, Umdir, and Tikal.

"Now what?" Tails asks. We stand there for a few moments.

"Can we go swimming? Please?" Charmy jumps up and down, pointing at the river.

"No." I answer flatly.

"Uh, yes!" Amara glares at me. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I am in desperate need of a bath." Amara grabs Charmy's hand and marches toward the river.

"Swimming sounds good." Rouge shrugs and follows them.

"I will get some soap." Kreed jogs off. Before I know it, everybody is going to the river, leaving me behind.

"Ugh." I rub my face and reluctantly join them. We follow the river until it reaches the edge of the village, that way we don't contaminate the water that people might use for dish washing or drinking water.

"CANNON BALL!" Amara and Charmy suddenly burst out of the treetops, swinging on a vine, and they fall into the river. I jump back as water splashes everyone.

"Charmy!" Vector wipes the water from his eyes. Charmy grins and makes a face at him. "That's it! I'm comin' in!" Vector wads into the water as Charmy tries to swim away from him, laughing. Everyone else goes into the water, even Shadow. Kreed returns with the soap and my crew take turns taking their 'baths'. I find a tree and get cozy laying underneath its shade.

Just as I'm about to fall asleep, I hear someone walk up to me. "What? Too cool to swim, Sonic?"

"I don't like swimming. Now, what do you want?" I ask Amy, keeping my eyes closed. I feel her sit next to me.

"The river is too cold for me to stay in, so I thought I'd come and bug you after I was done cleaning myself." I hear her smirk.

"How thoughtful." I say sarcastically. "I'd be careful though, I still might make you train tonight." I smirk. I honestly did not expect her to ask me, of all people, to train her how to fight. "Wait a minute, the river is too cold for you? This has to be one of the nicest-feeling rivers I know!"

"It could be cold today! You haven't even touched the water!" She argues.

"This place stays 70 degrees year-round, and I've also touched the water before." I say smugly.

"Fine. Obviously I'm not used to doing these kinds of things." The sadness in her voice makes me open my eyes and look at her. She sits with her knees up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. She is still sopping wet, water dripping off her short hair, and her lavender dress clings to her slender frame.

Feeling my eyes on her, she turns to look at me. As she turns, I tear my gaze from her body to her face, only to be drawn right back in. Her cheeks are tinged pink from the 'cold' water, and her sad jade eyes look at me, little water droplets sparkling on her eyelashes. The last time I saw eyes that mesmerizing was...

A memory of blue eyes flashes in my mind. No no. I'm not going there right now.

"I know what you think of me, and I'm not as stuck up as you think I am." Amy says softly. I snap out of my thoughts and cock an eyebrow at her. She looks at everybody else, who are still playing in the river.

"I never asked to be raised in the rich life. Growing up, all I ever wanted was to be like the other kids. I even begged my parents to let me go to regular school rather than be home-schooled. I didn't have any friends and I thought going to school would get me some. The morning my first day of kindergarten started out swell. Everyone was nice, and I saw many kids who seemed like they could be good friends. Then my teacher did attendance. Once everyone found out I was Amelia Rose, Duke Lucas Rose's daughter, everything went downhill. All the kids gave me cold looks, either ignored me or never left me alone, and they called me names like '_rich girl'_. This was all before recess.

"Once recess came around, word quickly spread to other and older kids about my presence. I was sitting in the corner of the playground by myself, playing with my favorite doll, when these two older boys came up to me and snatched my doll away. They played Keep Away with it and laughed at me, taunting me with '_where's your rich daddy now_?'" Amy's eyes water from the memory. I can feel myself getting riled up. I don't even know if she's telling the truth, I just know I hate bullies.

"Then this magenta hedgehog with long brown hair came up and snatched the doll from one of the boys mid-throw. She yelled at them with so much anger, you would've thought she was my sister or something. They mumbled apologies she forced them to say to me, and she gave me back my doll after they left." She smiles with fondness.

"That day was bittersweet. It was the worst day of my life, but it was also the day I met Amara. Since that day she has stuck by me, defending me whenever she sees fit. Amara was the only one in school who didn't care what kind of lifestyle I lived, and her family was, and still is, one of the poorest families in our town! Because of her, I continued to go to school, just so I could hang out with her more. She exposed me to a lot of the normal things average people do, but I still found myself wishing to be like the normal families.

"The most time my family spends together is, at most, two days a week. My father is one of King Marcus' advisers, and my mother owns all the tailoring shops in the town. With those jobs, they barely have any time for me, and when they do, it's just awkward. They don't know enough about me to have all the normal conversations a family does. They're good people, as far as I know, but they're just never there." She rests her head on her knees.

"I'm sorry about those kids bullying you, but if you hate the rich life so much, then why the hell are you marrying Scourge?" I point out, not sure if I'm buying her story. Rich people can be very manipulative.

"Because he is kind, smart, funny, and, not that it's important, very handsome." She defends herself. "Also, of all the girls he could have chosen, he chose me."

"Why does that surprise you? You are the daughter of one of the richest dukes in Pallertha."

"He is a prince. He already has a lot of money, so it can't be the reason why he's marrying me. I'm also not one of the prettier girls, so he must have chosen me for my personality."

"'Not one of of the prettier girls'? What, do you think you're ugly?" I ask incredulously.

"No, but I don't think I'm anything special either. The only memorable thing about me are my eyes. I'm just average when it comes to looks." She shrugs. I shake my head.

"Amy, you have something that those 'pretty girls' don't have. Something that I'm sure they'd kill for." She raises her eyebrows in surprise.

"I do?"

"Yes. You have natural beauty. You can simply put on a dress and go to a ball and still look lovely. Those girls may look beautiful when in public, but it's not who they are. Those girls have to paint their faces on and force their bodies to look like they want it to, hiding their true looks. You don't. So don't wish to be like them, you'd be many levels under what you used to be otherwise."

"Really?" She looks at me doubtfully, a smile threatening to appear.

"Don't think I'm saying this just to make you feel better." I suddenly feel heat rushing to my cheeks, and I look away to hide it. "I just really hate those fake, painted girls." I shrug casually.

"Right." I hear her sigh heavily.

"Hey Sonic, your turn to wash." Tails calls out to me.

"Alright." I get up, glad to get out of that awkwardness, and grab the soap from Tails. I stay in the shallow river bank and wash the dirt off of me and my clothes.

"We're going to go get some lunch." Silver tells me once I finish up.

"Okay, let's go." Kreed leads us to the food hut. I feel Amy's eyes on me. Maybe Amy isn't exactly like most rich people. I feel like everything she told me was true and her actions so far are not what I expect, but I still need to be cautious. There have been consequences for being too trusting.

Amy wouldn't be the first caring rich girl though...

**Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm finished with my other story, so hopefully I can update this a lot more. Hopefully, since school is starting in a couple weeks and it's my senior year... college planning. Yay. :/**

**Dave the Gay****, ****Christian Wolf27****, ****sonamyfan21****, ****arianahewitt****, ****Sara lovelymusic****,**** WorldOfSpeed****, thanks for the reviews!**

**I own Amara and this story. Sega or Archie own the other characters. **

**Chapter 7**

**Amy's P.O.V. **

"Alright ladies, I am the one that will help you get ready for tonight. Kreed is the one to help the rest of you, gentlemen." Tikal walks up to us with a smile. Since we ate lunch, we've been exploring the huts and socializing with the echidnas within them. Even though they won't help me and Amara, I can't help but to find these people and their village to be amazing. It's so peaceful and beautiful here.

"Lead the way then." Rouge coldly says to Tikal. Amara managed to get Shadow to explain to the both of us why Umdir and Knuckles' relationship is the way that it is. I find it sad; I think they both are right and wrong. Umdir has an important job that needs complete dedication, but it is also not the right job for a father.

Her smile turning into a small frown, Tikal nods her head and leads us girls to a hut close to the riverbank. Inside are heaps of women's clothing made by the women of the tribe.

"Pick what you like, and I will make sure it fits you. Also, think of a symbol that has a special meaning to you to be painted on your cheek. Do not worry about shoes, for we will be going barefoot." Tikal gestures to the clothes. We begin to search through the shirts, skirts, and dresses, looking for anything that appeals to us.

"Rouge?" Tikal clasps her hands in front of her as she addresses the white bat. Rouge arches an eyebrow, but doesn't answer. "I never meant to hurt Knuckles. He is my brother. I love him dearly, but I love my father too. Do you have any idea how hard it is to have both wanting you to pick one of their sides? I knew Father would not be pleased knowing I was actually visiting Knuckles rather than exploring the world to satisfy my curiosity like I had claimed. I just want them to forget their differences and be a family again. I know that is what Mother would have wanted." Tikal's blue eyes begin to water. Rouge stays silent for a few moments, continuing her search, before releasing sigh and finally looking at the orange echidna.

"You're fine honey. It's not your fault those two are like that. You can tell where Knuckles gets his stubbornness from." Rouge rolls her eyes. "I know it's hard for you, but you need to know that as far as Knuckles is concerned, you are the only family he has left. You mean more to him than anyone, more than me even. You need to talk to him sometime tonight. Let him know how you feel and how hard it actually is for you."

"Okay." Tikal's voice breaks. Rouge smiles and gives her a hug. With the tension now dissolved, we easily find our outfits.

Tikal chose a spaghetti-strapped white shirt with a sky-blue lace skirt that reaches just below her knees. Her dreads are french-braided, and she has on just mascara. She has a silver bracelet on each wrist, a braided ankle bracelet made of red string on her left ankle, and a simple silver-heart necklace around her neck. Painted on her right cheek is a light blue sun- '_To symbolize the start of a new day_.'

Rouge is wearing a black crop-top with a violet lace skirt that reaches down to her ankles. Her hair is down and curled, and she has on mascara, violet eyeshadow, and bright-red lipstick. She also has two gold bracelets on each wrist and a black-ribbon choker-necklace with a purple jewel in the middle. A purple heart is painted on her left cheek- '_I cherish what I have_.'

Blaze has on a white tanktop with a golden skirt that reaches just below her knees. Her hair is put up in a ponytail, and she has on mascara and winged eyeliner. She has one gold bracelet on her right wrist and a large orange-jeweled necklace with a gold chain. Gold flames are painted on her right cheek- '_Beautiful and dangerous, like me_.'

Amara found a sapphire-blue dress with white leaf print that ties around her neck, leaving her back exposed, and it goes down to below her knees. Her quills are put into a messy bun, and she has on mascara and dark-red lipstick. She has a silver bracelet on her left wrist and a silver-braided ankle bracelet around her right ankle. Painted on her left cheek is a blue sixteenth music note- '_Music lets me express what I can't say, which is a lot_.'

I picked a white strapless dress with red floral print that reaches just above my knees. I have a red headband to keep my curled quills from my face, and, with the insistence of the other girls, I have mascara and soft-red lipstick on. I have a pearl necklace and a pearl bracelet on each wrist. A red flying bird is painted on my left cheek- _'Someday I will be free from all my insecurities, no longer letting them hold me down_.'

All in all, I think we look amazing.

"It's too bad Scourge can't see me now. I think he would've liked this." I smile at myself as I look in the mirror. My parents would never allow me to wear this. '_It is unladylike_', they would have said.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure he would've loved it." Amara says in a hard tone. I narrow my eyes at her. Blaze speaks up before I can say anything.

"What guy wouldn't? This is the most skin I've seen you show, Amy!" Blaze smirks over at me. I blush.

"It's not that much." I mutter, becoming self-conscious.

"No, it is not." Tikal reassures me. "You look lovely." The others nod their heads in agreement. I smile at them.

"Thanks. You all look lovely as well."

"Then let's go show them what we got!" Taking one last look in the mirror, Rouge struts out of the hut. Amused, the rest of us follow her out. We see the setting sun, a couple of stars already out, and a couple of clouds dotting the darkening sky. We walk on the soft grass to the center of the clearing, where a large fire has already been started. A pig is roasting over the fire, and everyone appears to already be here, taking their seats on the ground and forming a large circle around the fire. Even Umdir is here. With the Master Emerald right behind him, Umdir is sitting next to a female light blue echidna, who is sitting to Zarruk's right.

"Hello ladies." I look to find Kreed and the rest of the guys making their way over to us. We look over the guys' apparel while they eye us. I catch Sonic's eye, and he gives me an unidentifiable look. It makes my stomach tighten with nerves. I look away and continue observing the rest of the guys before I can blush.

The guys' apparel consists of just their pants and lines painted on their chests, arms, and faces. Kreed has grey jagged lines, Tails' light blue lines are both vertical and horizontal, Silver has vertical purple lines, Knuckles' lines are horizontal and yellow, Vector has red wavy lines, Espio has orange diagonal lines, Charmy has random blue lines, Shadow has lightning-like green lines, and Sonic has swirling white lines that reminds me of wind. I cannot help but to admit that they all look handsome, including little Charmy.

"You all look exceptional tonight." Kreed half-bows to us.

"Thank you, Kreed. You all look handsome as well." Tikal smiles at him.

"Not bad." Shadow smirks over at Amara.

"'Not bad'? Gee, your compliment is making me swoon with delight." Amara says sarcastically.

"Oh Shadow." Silver shakes his head. "When it comes to giving a lady a compliment, you have to really compliment them. Observe." Silver walks up to Blaze and takes her hand in his.

"My dear," he says in a low voice. "You look utterly, and breathtakingly, gorgeous tonight." He kisses her hand as she smiles lovingly at him. He turns back to Shadow.

"You see? They always like things like that!"

"Even if you don't mean it?" Sonic asks with a sly smile.

"Especially then!" Blaze smacks him upside the head. "I-I mean, no! Of course not! You should always be honest!" Silver quickly corrects himself. We laugh at him. My laughter is cut short when Sonic suddenly walks up to me and bows, taking my hand.

"Your beauty is far greater than a crystal clear night with a full moon, Miss Rose." He says with a half-lidded gaze. I feel heat rush up to my face and I snatch my hand back.

"Funny. Now go fake claims of beauty with some other girl." I cross my arms and glare at him. His earlier words of my natural beauty echo in my head, but I shake them out. He's just messing with me. He's made it clear he doesn't care for 'my kind'. Not that it matters...

"Fake? How could you say such an outrageous thing?" Sonic dramatically asks, pretending to be offended.

"Because you can fake pretty much anything. So leave me be, Faker." His ear twitches and some of the amusement in his eyes dies.

"Hey, I am not a faker." He argues.

"Oh. My. God!" Knuckles suddenly exclaims while gaping at Sonic, drawing everyone's attention. "Shadow!" He grabs the black hedgehog's arm. "We found it! We've finally found it!"

"What are you talking about, Patches?" Sonic huffs. Knuckles grins darkly at him.

"Quiet... Faker." Knuckles' grin widens as Sonic's ears twitches again. "I can't believe we've finally found it!" He cackles with delight.

"Faker. Hmm, suits you perfectly." Shadow smirks at the irritated blue hedgehog.

"Amy," I look at Knuckles. "It's official: I like you. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't of discovered his new name!"

"Would you quit it! It's not even that clever!" Sonic glares at the echidna.

"Like Patches is?!"

"Gentlemen." Tikal steps between the two. "There is no need to argue. I am sure Chief Zarruk is waiting for you all. You are his guests, after all." Sonic sighs and starts walking over to where Zarruk is seated.

"Knuckles, may I speak with you?" Tikal timidly asks her brother before he can follow. The amusement on his face from the earlier encounter disappears and Knuckles crosses his arm while he looks at the ground, but he stays put. The rest of us follow Sonic, giving the two echidnas some privacy.

"I hope he isn't as hard-headed like I remember." I hear Kreed mutter.

"He'll listen to her." Rouge replies confidently. I hope things work out. Coming from an only child, siblings need to appreciate and be there for each other.

"Hello dear guests!" Zarruk stands and greets us once we're near enough. "I would like you all to meet my wife, Crystal." He gestures to the light blue echidna I noticed earlier. She stands and smiles warmly at us.

"A pleasure to finally meet all of you. Come, take your seats. Dinner is about to be served." She motions over to the large open space to Zarruk's left. I go to follow Amara, but I suddenly feel myself being pulled towards the area right next to Zarruk instead. Sonic sits next to the chief, pulling me down with him. Tails is on my other side.

"What?" Sonic smiles innocently, seeing my glare. "I still have to keep an eye on you." I roll my eyes and look at my surroundings. Why bother scolding him? He wouldn't listen anyways.

Echidnas walk up to the roasted pig and remove chunks of meat, serving the plates of pork to everybody else. Other echidnas with baskets walk up to the seated people, offering them the food within: corn, apples, carrots, peaches, peas, kiwi, green beans, ect.

Knuckles and Tikal rejoin our group a couple of minutes after dinner is being served. Knuckles takes his seat between Rouge and Kreed, and Tikal sits between Kreed and Tails. Knuckles' reassuring smile to Rouge is enough for me to know he and Tikal are okay. I cast a glance at Umdir and see a small, sad smile on his face as he observes his two children. I hope they fix things soon. I turn my attention to the plate on my lap and take a small bite of the pork. It falls apart effortlessly in my mouth, its rich juices bombarding my taste buds with flavor. Delicious.

After I finish eating my meat, Sonic looks over at my plate. "Hmm. Just like your prince."

"What?" I look at him confused. He gestures to my food. I look at the peas, kiwi, and green beans that are left on my plate. All green things. "Shut up!" I slap his arm, making him chuckle. Stupid hedgehog.

The rhythmic pounding of drums suddenly sound, making me jump. Echidnas cheer and stand, moving their bodies to the beat as they crowd around the fire.

"What's going on?" Tails asks over the noise.

"What does it look like? They're dancing!" Sonic answers. The young fox rolls his eyes.

"Well duh! I'm asking what for!"

"No reason." Sonic shrugs. "There's always a dance before a feast ends. Probably to help them digest or something."

"Come on Amy!" I feel someone tug at my hand. I look up and see Tikal smiling down at me. "Come on!" She yanks me to my feet and pulls me into the dancing crowd.

"But I don't know any of your dances!" I yell over the drums.

"We do not have specific dance moves! Just move how you wish!" With that being said, Tikal begins to dance, letting the beat of the drums guide her. I look around and see she is right; no one is dancing the same. They all are moving their own ways, dancing their own moves. No one looks silly. No, they look graceful and confident. My nerves beginning to settle, I begin to dance too, swaying my hips and moving my arms up in the air. I don't think about what I'm doing, I just let my body take over and let it move.

"There you go!" I hear Tikal giggle. As I grow more confident, I see the rest of the crew joining the dance. Even Shadow managed to get Amara to join, not without some struggle and a self-conscious look though. The sight brings a smile to my face and I focus back to my dancing. This is a new experience for me. All my life I have done what others have told me to do. To do something that no one other than I can govern is an amazing feeling.

"Nice." I hear a voice say from behind me. I stop and whirl around, meeting emerald-green eyes. "May I have this dance?" Sonic bows and offers me his hand. I hesitate before taking his hand. He straightens up and pulls me to him, resting his hand on my lower back. We start to dance a classic waltz. Not ready to go back to rules, I add twists and steps that don't exist anywhere in the dance. Sonic quickly follows suit and add his own moves. Somehow it works out as we dance the waltz, enough moves added to it that the dance becomes unrecognizable. It is completely our own. I clear my head of all my troubles and thoughts and focus on the feel of the dance: how his body feels pressed against me, how I can feel the vibration of the drums through my bare feet, how the firelight illuminates his emerald eyes, and how safe I suddenly feel. I'm being held unwillingly for ransom, yet I feel safe. Feelings are complicated like that.

The drums stop, Sonic and I halting as well. We're panting heavily with less than an inch between our noses, looking into each other's eyes. I vaguely notice the people around us begin to leave, and my senses suddenly snap back to me. I step out of Sonic's arms.

"W-well that was fun." I nervously say. "Thank you for the dance."

"Yeah, sure." He rubs the back of his head, a habit I'm beginning to notice he does when he's nervous. "Well, looks like it's time to go train."

"What?" My shoulders slump. "You serious?" The soreness in my limbs just became bearable!

"I said we'd train tonight if we had time, and it looks like we do." He smirks at me. I lean my head back and groan. "Now now, you asked for this. Come on. I think I know a good clearing near here." He walks off.

"Wait! Can I at least change first?" I gesture to my dress. He looks back at me over his shoulder. The way he eyes me makes me feel self-conscious again.

"You'll be fine. The clothes made here not only look good, but they are also very enduring. Now hurry up. Time is a-wastin!" I cross my arms and, with a huff, I follow him. Sure I asked him to train me, but I didn't expect to be trained to the point where I don't want to even stand afterwards!

"Here we are." He stops in a small clearing in the jungle, far enough from the villagers so we don't have to worry about being too loud. "Wait here." With a gust of wind and a blue streak, he's suddenly gone.

"Sonic?" Where the hell did he go?

"Here." With another gust of wind, he is right by my side, extending a long wooden stick to me.

"Agh!" I shriek. "What did you just do? Where did you go? Wha-?"

"Hey hey!" He hushes me. "I can run faster than the speed of sound. I thought you already knew this?"

"No." I shake my head. "I haven't seen it before, nor has anyone ever mentioned it."

"Seriously? I'm faster than the speed of sound and no one talks about it? I'm gonna have to change that." He rubs his chin and mutters to himself, loud enough for me to hear. "Anyways," He focuses back on me. "enough about what I can do. Right now I'm going to teach you some basic sword maneuvers." He tosses me the stick. "We'll use these first. I'd like to stay in one piece." He grins at me.

"Let's just get started." I roll my eyes.

For the next hour Sonic shows me the basic defense and offense maneuvers for sword fighting. He has me practice them by myself, correcting my posture as I do so. I eventually start to get the hang of it and start to perfectly perform the maneuvers. Maybe I will be able to learn a lot more than I thought before returning home.

"So far you are doing well." Sonic steps in front of me, holding his own stick. "Now I want you to verse me." We get into positions. Feeling confident enough, I make the first move and go to attack him. He blocks my attack, knocks my stick out of my hand, and holds the end of his stick against my throat, all within a couple seconds.

Maybe not.

"Learning the moves is one step, but quickly and correctly using them is another." He steps back and gets back into position. "Again." I spend the next hour sparring against him, repeatedly and quickly beaten each time.

"That's it!" I pant heavily. "No more!" I sit on the ground and rest my head on my knees, my eyes closed. "I'm exhausted." After two hours of training, I don't think I've improved very much. I could easily be taken down in three seconds flat.

"Alright. You lasted longer than I expected, actually." He sits down besides me. "You know, for someone who knows nothing about fighting, you catch on really fast."

"I don't need you to lie to me. I know how bad I am." I grumble, my eyes still closed.

"I'm not lying, and I don't appreciate being accused of that either." Sonic says firmly. I turn my head and look at his irritated face.

"Oh? Like pirates are the most trustworthy people." I glare.

"More than your people are." He narrows his eyes at me.

"They don't steal or kidnap people!" I feel my temper rising.

"Oh they steal alright. They steal from the poor. Especially your _precious_ prince and his family." He sneers. "They're the reason why I do what I do."

"What are you talking about?" I ask warily.

"I don't know if you've noticed from the cozy comfort of your big fancy house, but a large amount of Pallertha's people are extremely poor, while the rich are not just rich, but filthy rich. Why is that, do you think?" He continues before I can answer. "It's because King Marcus taxes the poor people heavily and he barely, if at all, taxes the rich. I steal from the rich so I can give it to the poor. Call me Robin Hood if you'd like, but that's what I do. You remember the gold I gave Zarruk?"

"Yes." I slowly nod.

"That is to pay the taxes he owes to Marcus. If he fails to pay, Marcus will take this island from the tribe, and he will discover and take the Master and Chaos Emeralds too. This is the case of so many other, innocent people. The rich refer to me as a pirate, while the poor refer to me as a hero. So tell me, _Princess_, what do you think I am?"

Do I believe him? King Marcus has always been kind to me, but, regardless of Sonic's accusation, I have noticed the fair amount of poor people. I will admit, Sonic and his crew are way more civilized than the tales I've heard about pirates, and they haven't really done anything to prove otherwise (except for Shadow and his intended use for Amara, which I should make sure is still not happening). Maybe Marcus is a greedy king. If so, that doesn't mean Scourge is. He's not the one enforcing the tax laws. Once Scourge and I take over the kingdom, I'll be sure to right the poor if Marcus is indeed treating them unfairly.

"As a hostage, it's hard to answer that unbiased," I glare pointedly at Sonic. "but from what I've seen so far, I guess I'd say... a hero."

"See, I knew- wait, what? Really?" His eyes widen in surprise.

"Yes." I give him a small smile. "You and your crew feel bad when taking lives, even when it's necessary. You all treat me and Amara like people rather than prisoners, except for that first day. You also help the Peacekeepers keep their island. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like things a pirate would do."

"Hmm." Sonic lays on his back and looks at the star-filled sky. "You sure you didn't drink any sea water? Silver accidentally did that once. He was messed up for a week."

"Yeah, like I'd drink fish water." I roll my eyes.

"Don't knock it till ya try it." He chuckles. I shake my head and look at the sky as well.

"Once Scourge and I take over Pallertha, I'll make sure to right the poor." I say. I see him look over at me from the corner of my eye.

"What makes you think he won't be like his father?"

"I'm getting married to him, don't you think I'd at least know that much?" I argue.

"Well you did meet him like, what, a week-and-a-half ago?" He points out.

"You sound like Amara." I grumble.

"Just sayin'." He shrugs.

"Well I stand by my choice to marry him." I cross my arms. "We'll be happy, and we'll rule Pallertha as fair as possible."

"As long as you're happy, I guess." He says lowly. We stay silent after that, a comfortable silence between us as we gaze at the night sky.

"Come on." He gets up and offers me his hand. I take it and he hoists me up. "We should get to bed. We still have to get up early for training." My shoulders slump again.

"Can't wait." I grumble. I better have at least a little more muscle from all this training.

"That's the spirit." He grins. "Would ya like a lift?" He extends his arms towards me. Curious as to how fast he is, I nod. He scoops me up bridal-style. "Hold on." In a fraction of a second, my quills fling back and wind whooshes past my face. The jungle blurs by. It's scary but thrilling at the same time, enough to steal my breath away. Just as soon as it started, we are standing in front of a large tree trunk.

"What are we doing here?" I scrunch up my eyebrows in confusion once I regain my breath. "If I remember correctly, the huts are behind us."

"Look up." I do and see multiple tree houses, wooden bridges connecting all of them. "Think of the huts back there as a small town shops These are the homes." Sonic walks past me and whistles. A rope ladder falls down from above "Ladies first." I go over to the ladder.

"If I'm going first, you better keep your eyes down." I glare at him. I'm wearing shorts under this dress, but still...

"Yeah yeah, I will. Now would ya hurry up? I'm actually pretty tired."

"Oh, poor thing." I fake pout and start climbing. the night guard helps me up onto the wooden platform once I reach the top of the ladder. I nod my thanks and wait for Sonic.

"Okay." He sighs once he's up. "Our hut is this way." I follow him over a couple bridges and into a small treehouse. Inside are a couple hammocks and other small pieces of furniture like woven baskets for storage. I walk over to the hammock next to the small window.

"I call that one." Sonic says right as I reach it. He walks over to a small bowl full of water and grabs a rag. Dipping the rag into the water, he begins to wash off his paint. Ignoring him, I lay down in the hammock. Forget pajamas, I'm too tired to change, and this dress is comfortable enough to sleep in. "Didn't you hear me? I called it."

"Yep, and I say too bad." I close my eyes and sigh. Very comfy. "And don't you_ dare _flip me out of this." I growl, guessing his intentions with my eyes still closed. "I may not be able to fight like you, but you better believe I will do everything I can to make you miserable. Starting with sabotaging your breakfast." I threaten. I'll do it too. I hear him chuckle.

"Fine, I'll let you win this one. Gotta let the losers feel victory every once in a while after all."

"Hmm. Too tired to care. Night Faker." I roll onto my side, facing the window.

"Night Princess." He continues to wash himself. I feel like I am getting too close here. Soon enough, I'll be back with Scourge and leaving these people behind. They're wanted pirates and I'm Scourge's fiancé. There would be no way I would be able to see them again without having them arrested for their 'crimes'. I'm going to have to keep my distance and remind Amara of this too.

Because, regardless of how friendly they are, we don't belong with them.

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**FireWitch25****, ****Sara lovelymusic****, ****arianahewitt****, thanks for the reviews!**

**I own Amara and this story. Luna Hedgehog belongs to ****LunaHedgehog14****, my sister (that's right, I have a sister!). Sega or Archie own the other characters. **

**Chapter 8**

**Sonic's P.O.V. **

Feeling my internal clock ringing, I open my eyes and see the sun starting to light the sky outside. Right on time. I look across the small room and see Amy sprawled out in her hammock. Hmm, how should I wake her up today? I like her cooking, so flipping her out isn't an option. Yelling at her is getting old...

An idea pops into my mind and with a devious smirk, I climb out of my hammock and quietly make my way over to the pink hedgehog's side. I use my fingertips and mimic bugs crawling on her exposed arm and neck. She squirms in her sleep, trying to swat 'the bugs' away. I quicken the pace and she squirms even more, this time enough to fall out of her hammock.

"Ow!" She quickly sits up and looks at herself, searching for the insects. I laugh.

"Rise and shine." I grin.

"Sonic!" She glares at me and crosses her arms. "Why do you do this to me? Is it too much to ask to let me wake up normally?"

"Way too much. Over in that basket are some clothes for you to wear today." I gesture over to the woven basket next to her hammock. I turn and go to the basket on my side, changing into my clothes for the day. "This morning we'll go over a couples more maneuvers, then we'll have breakfast and get ready to leave the island."

"Alright." I hear shuffling as she changes.

"Also, Zarruk told me last night you're allowed to keep the dress. '_An apology gift for not 'rescuing' you from Captain Sonic_' he said." I inform her, remembering how she first looked in her dress last night. I'll admit, she looked stunning. Her whole outfit brought out features I haven't even noticed before. Especially when we danced...

"That's kind of him. Now that I know why you do what you do, I'm not mad at him anymore." I hear the smile in her voice, obviously touched by the Chief's apology. "I'll miss this place." She says softy. No longer hearing the shuffling of her getting dressed, I turn towards her.

"It's a nice village." I agree. "Now come on. We've got work to do."

**XXXXX**

"You're doing just fine Amy, really. It just takes a lot of practice to get as good as I am." I try to calm down the frustrated pink hedgehog before me.

"But you always beat me so quickly! How is that good?" She argues.

"I'm showing you what you'll have to deal with if you have to defend yourself again." I explain.

"Well it's not doing any good." She grumbles.

"Fine. I'll go a little easier on ya, let you last a little longer." I roll my eyes. Kind of an impatient thing she is. We get into positions again. I attack first, slower than usual. She blocks me and goes to hit me with her stick. I easily block her and make another slow attack. We continue this for a while, Amy getting more and more frustrated from not being able to hit me.

"Control your anger. It's making your attacks sloppy." I tell her, blocking another one of her lunges.

"I'm. Fine!" She pulls her stick back, and, holding it like a baseball bat, she swings full-force at me. I hold my stick up to block her, only to have it snap in half as her stick makes contact with mine. Her stick slams into my chest and sends me flying back a few feet, knocking the air out of me.

"Oh!" She gasps and drops her stick. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She rushes over to my side, face full of worry.

"I'm... alright." I wheeze, slowly sitting up. What a hit!

"I didn't break anything, did I?" She touches my chest where she hit me. I wince and remove her hand.

"No, but there'll definitely be a bruise." I chuckle. It's no wonder how she killed Rengash with one swing.

"I'm so sorry." Her ears flatten and her eyes begin to water. "I didn't listen to you and I lost my temper, and now-"

"Hey, don't worry about it! I've had much, much worse. I'm okay. At least you've finally hit me. A good hit too, might I add." I try to cheer her up. If there's one thing that I can't stand, it's crying. It always makes me feel bad, even if I'm not the reason for it. Although, you'd think she would be enjoying the fact that she hit me, something I thought she wanted to do since day one.

"I wouldn't have hit you if we were using real swords, you would've just blocked me again rather than it breaking." She gloomily points out.

"You don't know. There has been the rare occasion of a sword breaking in battle." I shrug and stand back up, ignoring the ache on my chest. "I think that's enough training for now. Let's go see if the others are up and about." We leave the small clearing and walk towards the fire pit, where the villagers like to gather and socialize. There we find the others and some echidnas placing the baskets of fruit they gathered for breakfast in a line and on the ground.

"About time you sleepyheads!" Blaze says once we join the group.

"That is, if sleeping is all they did..." Knuckles grins slyly at us. An image of Amy in my arms flashes in my mind, her soft fur and- what the hell?!

"Hell no!" Amy yells at the red echidna, a faint blush on her cheeks despite the venom in her voice.

"Knuckles." I groan.

"Kidding." Knuckles chuckles. "Who'd want him?" He roughly pats my chest, right where Amy whacked me.

"Ow." I wince and step away from him.

"What? I barely touched you!" Knuckles raises an eyebrow. Amy looks apologetically at me

"I asked Sonic to train me, starting yesterday morning, and when we were sparring this morning, I swung too hard and hit him right in the chest." Amy explains.

"You're training her? And she hit you?" Silver smirks over at me.

"Hey, you try getting hit by her. Rengash did." I narrow my eyes at him. He puts up his hands in surrender.

"Pardon my intrusion," a female voice says from behind me. I turn and see Crystal. "but I was wondering if I could show Amelia something?"

"Uh, sure. Go right ahead." I nod. Crystal smiles and gestures for Amy to follow her. Amy shoots me a confused glance before walking with the light blue echidna.

"Hey Patches, got any idea what Crystal is showing Amy?" I turn back towards the group.

"No, Faker. Tikal?" I really dislike that nickname. It makes me sound like some lying jerk rather than the one who lies to the jerks.

"I do not know either. We will have to wait and find out." Tikal shrugs. We stand there and talk, waiting for the echidnas to finish up with breakfast. During our discussion, I find out Shadow is training Amara too, but instead of starting from scratch like I am with Amy, he's adding to and perfecting the knowledge Amara already has. Also, Tikal and Kreed are dating now. The look Knuckles gave Kreed made it so there was no need to talk to him, for the message was perfectly clear: hurt her and I'll kill you, friend or not. By the time Amy comes back, breakfast is ready. As we stand in line for the food, Amy walks over to us with a wide, bright smile.

"What did she show you?" I ask, the others look at her in curiosity. She shakes her head.

"I'll tell you guys later. It's a lot of explaining and right now I just want to eat."

"Fine, but you're telling us once we're back on the ship." I tell her. We grab the fruit we want from the large assortment of fruits the echidnas had gathered and some leftover pork from last night.

"Roasted pork for breakfast?" Amy asks in surprise.

"They make sure none of it goes to waste, breakfast or not." I explain and go to sit down with the others and eat. She grabs a slab of pork and follows me to where the group is sitting. We fill Amy in on what she missed when she was gone and continue to make small talk. Once we're finished with breakfast, we go to our huts and pack up our stuff. By the time we're packed and ready to go, the sun is high in the sky.

"You are all friends of the Peacekeepers and are welcome to come back anytime. Including you, Amelia and Amara." Zarruk addresses my crew and the two girls as we stand at the edge of the village, the jungle behind us.

"Thank you for hospitality Chief Zarruk." Amy nods her head in appreciation. "I'll keep your refusal to rescue me from Captain Sonic a secret." She smiles at him. He returns the grin.

"Thank you. That is very kind of you." I hadn't even thought of that. Zarruk would've been in huge trouble if she told on him.

"We better leave now if you still plan to arrive in Dascoun tomorrow afternoon Captain." Espio informs me. I nod my head in acknowledgement and turn to Zarruk.

"Thank you for the feast and for letting us stay here Zarruk. I will see you next month."

"Farewell." The Peacekeepers wave goodbye to us as we enter the jungle and begin to make our way back to the shore, where _The Acorn_ awaits us.

**XXXXX**

"Okay. The ship is sailing smoothly, we're all accounted for and unpacked, and lunch has come and gone. It's time to spill the beans Princess: what did Crystal show you?" We all look at Amy expectantly as we're gathered around the steering wheel, the ocean air blowing across our faces. I may not like water, but boy do I love sailing.

"Alright alright! I said I would tell you guys, yeesh!" Amy straightens up and focuses on her right hand. Rouge speaks up.

"Amy wha-" Suddenly, a giant red and yellow mallet-looking hammer materializes into Amy's hand. A couple people jump from its sudden appearance.

"She gave me this!" Amy beams.

"Hey, I remember that!" Knuckles eyes the hammer in surprise. "When I was younger, all us kids would see if we could lift that hammer because legend had it that only it's chosen owner would be able to lift it. Obviously, none of us could pick it up, less move it an inch. I'm surprised it's you, no offense or anything."

"I'm just as surprised as you are." Amy shrugs. "Crystal took me to the hut where this was and asked me to try and pick it up. I was confused, but I did it anyways. Imagine my surprise when I discovered this thing to feel as heavy as the sticks Sonic and I trained with. Crystal then told me only I can lift it by myself, it's made from a super strong and rare metal called thyranon, and it has the ability-" The hammer instantly disappears. "to reappear and disappear whenever I wish."

"Rich people always get the cool stuff." Amara teasingly rolls her eyes. Amy just smirks at her. If I had said that, joking or not, I have no doubt Amy would've used her hammer on me. I'm gonna have to watch what I say to her now...

"The legend also mentioned the owner would bring big change to their world." Knuckles adds with a thoughtful look.

"Yeah, Crystal mentioned that too." Amy nods, uncertainty flashing across her face. She then looks hopefully at me. "I can use this in training, right?"

"Sure, since you can summon it whenever you need." I shrug. I was training her to use a sword because that's the most common weapon, but now that she has this hammer available to her whenever, I'm going to have to train her to use it.

"Hey Sonic!" I look over at the yellow fox. "There's a royal trading ship a couple miles away from us." Tails points to in front of the ship where, sure enough, a royal trading ship is.

"Are we going after it?" Silver asks me.

"I don't think that would be a wise idea. Marcus knows these are our main targets. It could be harboring a surplus amount of soldiers, soldiers sent to retrieve Amy." Espio observes the other ship.

"True," I nod thoughtfully. "but imagine how mad he'd be if we managed to rob one of his ships and still keep Amy hostage?" The thought makes me grin in anticipation.

"Or if he finally manages to catch the infamous Captain Sonic." Shadow arches an eyebrow at me.

"We'll be fine." I dismiss his comment. "Get ready, we're goin' after it!" I go to the wheel and begin to steer towards the other ship.

"Can we help?" I look to my left and see Amy and Amara, Amy itching to try out her new weapon.

"You ask Shadow Amara. You're his responsibility, not mine. As for you Amy, no." I shake my head. "We don't kill these people, so what would Scourge think when one of them reports seeing his bride helping me rob them?" Her shoulders slump in disappointment.

"What if I wore a mask? Please, I want to help!"

"You just want to try out your hammer." I roll my eyes.

"I also want to help the poor! I know the royal family has more than enough money, and like you said, you're not going to kill these people." She crosses her arms.

"But they'll be trying to kill you, and how do I know you're not just trying to escape?" I point out. "Sorry Amy, but I can't risk it. Hey Knuckes!" I catch his attention. "Lock Amy in one of the cells." I watch as Knuckles leads the fuming pink hedgehog below deck. She'll get over it, or not. I don't really care.

We draw near the ship, my crew and I ready. I notice Amara armed and standing next to Shadow. I hope he knows what he's doing; she could be trying to escape too. We pull up alongside the ship called _Sea Breeze_.

"Ahoy!" I call to the captain, a green mongoose. "We can either do this the easy way, where you hand over your valuables, or the hard way, where we take your valuables! Your choice!" The mongoose calls his crew members to arms.

"Hard way it is." I grin. "Attack!" Cannon balls shoot from my ship and into the other, ripping holes into its wood. We set planks down to connect the two ships and a few of my crew members swing from the rigging and onto_ Sea Breeze's_ deck.

Just as I board _Sea Breeze_, the door leading below deck opens and soldiers spew out. "Ambush!" I alert my crew. Espio was right. As my crew fights on, wounding the soldiers and removing their weapons, I quickly search the ship for valuables. Nothing. Clever, Marcus.

I go back above deck and join the fight. "Fall back!" I suddenly notice a figure fighting near the ship's prow. Because of the hammer in her hands, I immediately know it's Amy. She must've busted the cell door open with her hammer. She at least managed to hide her identity, even her fur color. She found some pants, boots, a long-sleeved shirt, and a makeshift hood that covers her entire head, slits in it for her eyes to see through. She swings her hammer, knocking people several feet away and knocking them out cold, and she dodges the attacks thrown at her. If I wasn't pissed about her disobeying me, I'd be proud to see how much she's retained from our training.

A lion approaches me and takes my attention away from Amy. She should be fine long enough for me to take care of this guy. I slice a deep gash into his leg and toss his sword overboard once he doubles over in pain. Despite the gash, he still tries to fight me barehanded. Seeing he's still strong and determined, I cut off his leg. A small price to pay if he wishes to keep his life. I turn to go retrieve Amy and back to my ship when a foot whips out and slams into my gut. It drops me to my knees and I release my sword, while another sword rests against my throat.

"Where's Amelia?" A hard female's voice asks. I look up and see a white hedgehog, who looks to be around 17 years old, with light blue eyes. With a quick glance to see if Amy is still okay, I slowly go for my knife in my waistband.

"Safe... for now." I answer truthfully and I use the knife blade to get the sword away from my throat. I roll back, grabbing my dropped sword as I do so, and I jump to my feet, putting away the knife. The hedgehog lunges at me and I'm barely able to block her. She's very good for her age, but I'm still better. I push her back and attack her. Our swords clash against each other as we fight and slowly move closer to the connecting planks, where the rest of my crew is fighting to keep the soldiers at bay as they wait for me. Just a little longer.

"I'm not letting you escape!" The white hedgehog growls at me as she pushes me back and we get back into our fighting stances. Suddenly her eyes widen and she freezes.

"Drop your sword." I look and find Amara with the point of her sword in the hedgehog's back. With her jaw clenched, the white hedgehog obeys.

"Sonic, we need to go. There's too many of them." Amara says to me, keeping her gaze locked on the other female.

"Wait, Amara?" The white hedgehog turns her head.

"Luna?" Amara's eyes widen and she removes her sword. Luna turns around and eyes Amara warily.

"What are you doing? He kidnapped you and Amy!" A look of betrayal starts to appear on her face.

"Luna it's a long story, but please believe me when I say Sonic is not as bad as you were made to believe and that Amy and I are okay. I promise." Amara slowly starts to make her way to where the others are, a pleading look on her face.

"You know I can't let you just walk away." Luna says with a conflicted look.

"I can help with that." I hit the back of her head with the hilt of my sword, knocking her out. I zoom over to where Amy is, pick her up, and zoom back onto my ship, going straight to the steering wheel. The others, seeing my blue streak, quickly retreat back onto the ship and retract the planks. I sail away while Knuckles throws the soldiers who managed to get aboard my ship overboard. My ship easily and quickly leaves the _Sea Breeze_ behind before too long. I don't think they could follow us anyways. We did quite a number on that ship.

Now a safe distance away, I turn towards Amy. "What the hell were you thinking? Did I not say you could not fight?" I cross my arms and glare at her. I've been told by a couple of people that when I get mad, I am quiet and calm which makes me look very intimidating. I vaguely notice my crew stop what they are doing and listen to what we are saying.

"I covered myself up. No one could recognize me." She argues and removes the hood from her head.

"I am Captain of this ship for a reason. What I say goes. What would have happened if you got hurt? Or worse, killed?" I point out.

"I didn't though! You guys even looked like you needed the help." She crosses her arms too.

"Amy, he's right." Amara walks over to us, surprising the both of us. "You should've stayed below deck."

"You got to fight too though, and you're almost just as inexperienced as I am!" Amy yells at her.

"My life is not that big of a deal! Amy, you're going to be queen someday, and you'll be a great queen! If you died, then the kingdom will be robbed of a bright and happy future. You should've stayed not because you couldn't handle the fight, but because of your people!" Amara scolds Amy. Amy's ears flatten, shame on her face.

"I never thought of it like that." She mumbles then looks at me. "I'm sorry. I'll listen next time." She turns her attention to Amara and narrows her eyes.

"What do you mean your life isn't that big of a deal?" Amara puts up her hands and her eyes widen, realizing she might be getting a good scolding from Amy if she's not careful.

"I wasn't saying it's insignificant, just that it isn't as important as yours." Amy eyes the nervous Amara.

"You're wrong. Your life is just as important as mine, and don't you ever forget that."

"I second that." Shadow looks firmly at Amara. Amy gives Shadow a curious look while Amara's ears flatten.

"Alright, alright! Equality. Got it." It's funny seeing her uncomfortable.

"Hey," I say to Amara, remembering the incident on _Sea Breeze_. "You know that hedgehog back there?"

"Yes. Luna is my younger sister. Luna wanted to help the family make money but she also wanted to protect others, so she chose to be one of the royal soldiers, as you saw."

"You saw Luna?" Amy asks Amara.

"Yeah, I had to help Sonic get away from her."

"I didn't ask you to. I had it under control." I cross my arms. Amara rolls her eyes.

"You would've wasted more time trying to deal with her if I hadn't intervened though. She's a stubborn and determined girl. She's also very good at what she does, incase you couldn't tell." Amara's eyes widen in alarm. "And she's gonna kill me when I see her again! Why did you have to knock her out?" She groans.

"We had to go." I shrug. Amy chuckles.

"She's definitely not going to be happy. Maybe I should help her get back at you when I get back home." She grins slyly at me.

"Good luck." I scoff. "Now go be useful and help Tails repair the ship or something."

"Aye aye Captain Faker!" She mock salutes. I roll my eyes and notice everybody else still standing around.

"All you too! Get busy!" Nosy people. I watch as Amy goes below deck.

I didn't want to voice this out earlier, incase she forgot about it, but I noticed she didn't try to escape when we were back on Sea Breeze. She probably could have escaped, to be honest, but she didn't try to. I think about our conversation last night, how she thought of me as a hero rather than a pirate, and her statement of righting the wronged people once she and Scourge take over the kingdom. While I highly doubt Scourge will actually care what happens to the poor, I find myself believing Amy will actually care and will do something about it. Maybe I should lay off her. Now that I know her a little better, it's definite she isn't like typical rich people. How different she is, I've yet to find out, but it's enough for me to at least be a little kinder. A little.

**Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Damn, two weeks of school and I'm already booked with homework! I'll try to work on this story when I can, but I won't be able to do weekly updates like I had hoped. :P**

**Sara lovelymusic****, ****arianahewitt****, ****Sunset Rose 22****, ****FireWitch25****, ****Guest****, thanks for the reviews!**

**I own Amara and this story. Sega or Archie own the other characters. **

**Chapter 9**

**Amy's P.O.V. **

Vector and I work in a comfortable silence as we cook dinner, leaving me to my thoughts. Not one day with these guys has been dull, and, to be honest, it is the most excitement I've had in my whole life! I've even got my own weapon. With it I don't feel so helpless anymore, and no one can take it away from me. I still need to learn more about how I can use it rather than swinging wildly at people, which I had to do earlier on _Sea Breeze_. What I'd learned so far from Sonic came in handy, but that fight made me realize I need to learn more safe and unpredictable moves to use my hammer.

There's also the matter of what Crystal told me. '_The owners of this hammer always brought change to their worlds. We shall see what change you will bring, Amelia.'_ Does that mean I'll be an even better queen than I hoped? Or the complete opposite? Either way, I feel like more wight has been added to my shoulders, never able to forget about it as it buzzes in the back of my head.

Vector and I take the roasted chicken and steamed vegetables out to the table where the others are waiting, and we serve the food. Once again we immediately receive compliments for the well-seasoned meal.

"Vector actually did a lot of the seasoning this time." I state, smiling with pride at Vector. He is a fast learner.

"It's not as hard as I thought." The crocodile tries to causally shrug, pleasure radiating off of him.

"So why didn't you learn sooner?" Silver asks with a smirk. Vector narrows his eyes at the hedgehog.

"By the time we reach Foviad, you might know just as much as I do." I distract Vector with the compliment. Lately I've been having to stop the guys from arguing with each other. Blaze and Rouge gave up long ago, claiming there's no point and that they are just as bad as young boys.

"But there's still a chance of you poisoning us with the exotic spices Cap'n gets!" Charmy drops his head on the table with a fake-dead look, twitching with his tongue hanging out. Silver, Knuckles, and Sonic snicker at the young bee while Vector glowers at them.

I'm starting to agree with Blaze and Rouge.

Remembering Foviad, I change the subject. "So, how much ransom did you ask for me?" I ask Sonic and take my seat at the table.

"6 million rings, but seeing how they're offering 2 million rings for my capture/head, I'm thinking I should've asked for more." Sonic scrunches up his eyebrows in thought.

"Way to drop the ball." Knuckles says.

"Shut up." Sonic shoots a glare at him.

"Why did you choose to meet Scourge in Foviad?" Foviad is in the kingdom Robotnia, which is a close ally to Pallertha, and is near the border separating Robotnia and Pallertha, meaning Sonic is no safer there than he would be in Pallertha.

"Because I'm from Robotnia, and we Robotnians protect our own, even from Egghead." Sonic answers after swallowing his bite of roasted chicken. I look at him curiously.

"One of the numerous names we have for Robotnik, to make fun of his egg-shaped body." Tails explains to me.

"Oh, I see." It's not really a surprise that the people would despise King Robotnik. About 23 years ago, Robotnik and his army overthrew the King of Eonia and Robotnik took over it, renaming it Robotnia. Robotnik offered a truce with the other kingdoms as long as they let him keep the kingdom and stayed out of his business, otherwise he would go to war with them. Wanting to avoid war, they reluctantly agreed.

"Well, what about Dascoun? Why are we going there?" It's the capital city of Robotnia.

"That's where I grew up. We're going to visit my family. Mom and Sonja would kill me if I was nearby and I didn't visit." Sonic answers, rolling his eyes.

"Momma's boy." Knuckles grins at him.

"You're just asking for it now, Patches." Sonic growls at the red echidna.

"Who is in your family?" I interrupt the two, once again stopping an argument. Sonic reluctantly turns his attention back to me.

"My dad died when I was a baby, so it's just my mom Aleena, my sister Sonja, and my brother Manic. Sonja, Manic, and I are triplets. That's about all we have in common too." He smirks softly, obviously remembering all the differences they have.

"Oh wow." I feel bad for Aleena. Dealing with Sonic alone would've been bad enough, but two others the same age... I bet the teenage years were just a joy.

"What's with all these questions anyhow?" Sonic asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Just curious. With how these past four days have been going, this could very well be my last chance to ask." I shrug. Not to mention, I'm actually bored. I don't dare say that out loud though. Sonic wouldn't have any troubles whatsoever in finding work for me to do.

"Right." He eyes me suspiciously, like he knows I'm bored. I avoid eye contact and keep a straight face.

"What about you, Amy? Got any siblings?" Blaze asks from my right. I shake my head.

"No. It's just me. I almost had a sibling, but my mother had a miscarriage and didn't want to try again." I say sadly. I was eight when this happened, and it nearly crushed me when I heard my baby brother or sister had died. I had wanted a sibling so bad.

"I'm sorry." Blaze pats my shoulder comfortingly. I shoot her an appreciative smile.

"Hey! We should go around the table one at a time and tell Amy and Amara about ourselves! They can talk about themselves too." Charmy suddenly and cheerfully suggests.

"Well, we have the time." Rouge shrugs.

"Okay I'll go first!" Charmy clears his throat. "I was born an orphan and Vector took me in when I was five. I like shiny things, I love food, and my favorite game is hide and seek. I'm really good at that!" Charmy lifts his head proudly. "Done!" Vector shakes his head at the enthusiastic bee.

"I guess it's my turn. I grew up in Robotnia, or Eonia as it was once called. I know how to play quite a few instruments, but my favorite is the guitar. I noticed Charmy scrounging for food in the streets and he reminded me of me when I was orphaned, so I decided to take him in. His is a lot more of a handful than I ever was though." Vector glares pointedly at Charmy, who grins sheepishly. "I also have a brother somewhere. That's the main reason why I signed up to be on this crew: to see if I can maybe find him. We were separated after our mother died. I was seven, he nine. Next."

"I am from Pallertha, where my father, mother, and two older sisters all are. My parents own a ranch that they can't pay for themselves, so my being here helps them to pay for and to keep the family ranch. I am finished." Espio says.

"I am an only child, and Blaze and I are from Glaridna." Huh, I've heard of Glaridna. It's a kingdom across the ocean that likes to keep to itself. They also have high-quality trading goods. Silver and Blaze are the first Glaridnians I've actually met. "Blaze and I came here after we got married because we wanted to travel. We just happened to meet Sonic four years ago. Since we could travel and help others, we agreed to join his crew. Your turn." He pokes Blaze, who swats his hand away.

"Well, I have a younger sister who is back with my parents in Glaridna, I've known Silver since we were kids, and that's about it. The rest he already told you." I'm next.

"You guys already know about me. I can't really add anything more other than I've known Amara since I was five." I smile sheepishly. I obviously have an uninteresting life.

"Alright!" Amara claps her hands together. "I have two brothers and two sisters, me being the oldest out of all of them, and we're probably the poorest family in our town. I have a pet chao named Eclipse that I save from the streets and he is cranky with everyone but me. I also like food," She winks at Charmy. "and I like to read. That's about it. Shadow?" She looks to her left at the ebony hedgehog.

"I have no siblings. Both of my parents are alive and live in Robotnia, but I do not speak with them. They are stuck-up rich people. I am here to avenge the death of my closest friend, Maria. There was a riot one day and the soldiers sent to contain it shot the rioters, not caring that there was innocent bystanders around. Maria was one of the innocent that was killed, and the soldiers were not punished for their actions." Anger flashes in his crimson eyes. Amara places her hand comfortingly on Shadow's arm. "I am finished."

"You already know my story." Knuckles crosses his arms. Rouge rolls her eyes at him.

"My parents kicked me out when I was sixteen and I've never heard from them again. I wandered around Pallertha, stealing what I could to survive and make money. I met and started dating Knuckles about three years ago. I'm here because he is, it gives me a place to stay, and I still get to steal." She smiles slyly. "Done."

"Let's see, I started this crew about six years ago to help as much of the poor as I can. You already know about my family, so I guess there's nothing else to tell." Sonic shrugs. Tails is the last person to talk.

"I got seperated from my parents when I was seven. Sonic hired me a year later and has looked after me since. Like Vector, I'm here to see if I can find my family." Tails says, sorrow on his face. Sonic lightly punches his arm.

"And ya will." He smiles confidently at the yellow fox. Tails smiles back, his sorrow dimming.

"This was a great idea Charmy." I smile at him. I never knew some of these people had such sad stories or such good causes. I just assumed they all were here either for the adventure or for the money.

"He has those every now and then." Vector smirks at the bee, causing Charmy to stick out his tongue at him.

"So, Amy." Rouge leans towards me. "Let's hear about this prince of yours. I've never seen him." I receive some curious looks.

"Well, he's a green hedgehog with these amazing blue eyes. He is charming, handsome, funny, smart, and everything I could want really." I smile softly.

"Don't forget you've only known him a for almost two weeks." Sonic says into his cup as he takes a drink. I shoot a glare at him. Why should it bother him? It's my life anyways.

"Ooo." I snap out of my thoughts to see Rouge smiling at me and ignoring Sonic. She turns to Amara. "Is he really as good as he sounds?" Amara glances at Rouge before staring down at her nearly-empty plate.

"He is a green hedgehog with blue eyes." She shrugs. Rouge looks at her confused.

"Amara, for some reason that she won't tell me, doesn't like him." I explain, throwing a hard glare at Amara.

"I told you, I just don't like him." She groans, exasperated, and still not looking at me.

"No, there's a reason. Scourge doesn't seem to fond of you either. Maybe I should just ask him when we get back." I threaten. Amara keeps quiet and keeps her eyes on her plate. I release a sigh of frustration and turn my attention back to my food. I will find out, but not right now in front of so many people.

The rest of dinner is fairly quiet, a result of Amara and I's argument. Everyone else cleans up after dinner while Vector and I do the dishes. Once I'm finished with them, I go out to the deck and look out at the ocean, the moon and stars shining brightly in the night sky. I actually kind of missed being on the boat last night. The way the ship rocks reminds me of a mother rocking her baby to sleep.

"Great view, right?" I turn my head and see Sonic walking up besides me. I nod.

"Very beautiful." We listen to the calming sounds of ocean waves for a few moments.

"Look," He turns towards me. "I want to apologize for how I have treated you these last few days. I guess you could say I have a personal issue with rich people, but that is no reason for me to not give you the proper chance for you to prove otherwise." My eyes widen in surprise.

"Oh." I didn't see this coming. Sure he's been a jerk for most of my time here, but, lately, he's been lightening up. So far, he's showing to be not too bad of a guy, that or I'm getting too hopeful. I'm here for a couple more days, so I might as well find out. "Well, apology accepted." I smile warmly at him.

"Isn't this the part where you apologize too?" He teasingly grins.

"I was only rude because you started it first." I point out.

"I know I know, I was kidding." With a small smile he turns back to the ocean. "So, Amara doesn't like Scourge huh?" My earlier amusement vanishes.

"I'd rather not talk about it." I sigh.

"There's a reason she's not telling you." He ignores me. "Could be because she's afraid of how you'll react if she tells you."

"Why would she be afraid?" I ask incredulously.

"She might be afraid of you choosing him over her, or you being angry with what she tells you. Who knows?" He shrugs. "From what I've seen, usually when a best friend doesn't like their friend's spouse, the friend is cautious around the spouse and takes things slow. You don't look very suspicious of Scourge to me, and I'm guessing you still plan to marry him a week or two from now." Sonic arches his eyebrow at me, daring me to deny it.

"There's nothing to be suspicious of! Not until Amara tells me why anyways." I huff.

"I'm just sayin'."

"You say a lot." I grumble. He made me see reason after I killed Rengash, made me aware of Marcus ruling unfairly, and now he's making me think that maybe things are going a little too fast between me and Scourge. It's actually kind of irritating. Shouldn't I be the one to realize this instead of a pirate I barely know?

"Well what else should I say? 'I expect an apology when you realize I'm right'? Actually, that doesn't sound too bad." He rubs his chin thoughtfully.

"No way." I shake my head. "I'd hit you with my hammer."

"Ugh. If I didn't already know what your swing felt like, I'd say 'I don't care'." He rubs his chest where I hit him. I giggle. Finally, I can threaten him and he might listen. Might.

"Hey Faker!" I hear Shadow's voice call from the steering wheel. "Come take a look at these storm clouds up ahead." Sonic dashes over and I follow. I warily eye the dark clouds in front of us. I've heard of storms on a boat, and I'm not eager to experience it anytime soon.

"It looks like a little storm to me." Sonic says after observing it. "Nothing that will hurt us." My nerves relax a little.

"I thought so too." Shadow nods in agreement. Silver opens the doors leading below deck and steps out onto the deck.

"Hey Silver!" Sonic calls. Silver abruptly stops and turns around towards Sonic.

"Yeah?"

"Secure the rigging and ship. We're going to have a little storm, but I want to be prepared in case it's not so little." Silver's shoulders slump.

"I _told_ Blaze I'd be sent to work if I came back up here!" He mutters lowly.

"What?" Sonic raises an eyebrow.

"N-nothing! Right away!" Silver's hands begin to glow blue. The rigging and other areas of the ship begin to glow the same blue, moving and securing themselves.

"Whoa." I breathe. "He has telekinesis?" I've only read about people having that ability.

"Yup. Very useful when you need last minute stuff like this done." Sonic nods. The blue glow fades from both the ship and Silver's hands.

"Anything else?" Silver asks, looking slightly worn.

"Nope. Thanks." Silver's hand glows again, and food floats out of the kitchen and into his arms.

"Didn't you just eat?" I eye the amount of food in his arms.

"This is for later. I get midnight munchies." Silver shrugs sheepishly and goes back below deck. Sonic and I chuckle while Shadow just shakes his head. I hear a door open behind me and I turn to see Amara walk out of Shadow's cabin, dressed in a nightgown I'm sure either Blaze or Rouge made.

"Oh, hey guys." She glances at me before going to stand to Shadow's left.

"So," Sonic drums his fingers on one of the steering wheel spokes. "_'better sooner than later_' they say. What do you plan on doing with Amara, Shadow?" Sonic looks at his second-in-command.

"What do you mean?" I ask, fear slowly forming inside me.

"Amara is here only because Shadow said he could use her services, remember? He's the one that decides what she does until he releases her." Sonic states, cautious of my reaction. I look sharply at the ebony hedgehog.

"She's coming back with me." I say firmly.

"Oh?" Shadow raises an eyebrow. "Last I heard, it is my decision."

"I'm not letting you decide this. She has a family and a home to get back to!" I exclaim.

"I know that." He rolls his eyes. "That is why I will let her go back home if she wants."

"Like she would want to stay here." I scoff.

"I'm staying." Amara speaks up in a soft voice. I look over at her in shock.

"What?" Did she just say-

"I'm staying here." She repeats, louder. "I'm not going back with you."

"Why?"

"I like it here. Here I feel less dependent, it's exciting almost everyday, and I enjoy everybody."

"So you like being a slave?" I ask harshly.

"Shadow has actually treated me very well since day one." She defends Shadow. She's defending him!

"Until I leave! Then he's going to take advantage of your body!" I exclaim, trying to make her see reason. I can't say that ugly word, fear of it coming true as soon as it leaves my mouth.

"If I wanted to do that, why would it matter if you are here or not?" Shadow narrows his eyes at me.

"Because I refuse to let that happen to her! Not when I can do something to stop it." I growl at him. He opens his mouth to say something, but Amara cuts him off.

"Shadow." She takes a step towards him and rests her hand on his chest, stopping him from saying what she apparently knew he was going to say. He glances at her and crosses his arms. Amara looks at me, guilt on her face.

"I'm not being taken advantage of if I give him permission." She says lowly. Then it hits me.

She said_ 'not being',_ not_ 'won't be'_.

My hammer materializes in my hand and I swing at Shadow. He pushes Amara away and ducks.

"HOW _DARE_ YOU TOUCH HER!" I swing at him again. He dodges it again.

"Amy, stop!" Amara leaps protectively in front of him while Sonic grabs me from behind and pins my arms down. I struggle in his grip.

"YOU BASTARD!" I snarl at the ebony hedgehog.

"Amy!" Amara steps in front of me, blocking Shadow from my view. "He didn't force me to do anything! I've-" She hesitates. "I've fallen for him." She admits. I freeze.

"You've fallen for him." I slowly repeat. She nods guiltily.

"I couldn't help it, but I'm not the only one who feels that way." She takes a step back and gives Shadow a small smile as he sets a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh boy." Sonic whispers to himself.

"That is just what he wants you to think!" I hiss. "If he really _cared_ for you, he would make you come back with me and to your family!"

"I am not stopping her from going back to her family. She is the one deciding to stay, not me." Shadow argues, irritation on his face. I struggle in Sonic's grip again.

"Amara, you're not thinking clearly! Just come back with me and Scourge." He's brainwashed her somehow. I just know it.

"She is not going anywhere near _him_." Shadow growls.

"Why? Because she'll be too protected for you to be able to kidnap her again?" I sneer at him.

"Anywhere else is safer for her than with _him_." Shadow snarls in a voice full of hatred, surprising me and Sonic. Amara stands in front of him and faces him, getting him to look at her.

"Shadow, don't." She quietly pleads with him. He shakes his head and glares back at me.

"She needs to know."

"Know what?" I glare back. Amara continues to face him.

"But, she and my family-"

"Will be fine." Shadow interrupts, his voice softer now. "I will make sure of that, but she has every right to know." He tells her firmly. My anger begins to die down and a knot of uneasiness starts to form in my stomach.

"Know what?" I ask again, still wary.

"Why she doesn't like Scourge." Sonic answers for me and slowly releases his hold on me, sensing I won't try to harm Shadow at the moment. My uneasiness grows as I watch the pair's stare-down. Amara eventually lowers her head.

"Okay." She whispers and turns around to face me. Shadow takes her hand and entwines their fingers together, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. She squeezes back and meets my eyes, her eyes watery. I've never seen her this vulnerable, and it's scaring me.

"It was the day I first met Scourge, two days before you were engaged. It was late at night and I was taking my usual route home from your house: through the forest. Soon after I entered the woods, I ran into Scourge. He said he was taking a night stroll and insisted on walking me home. Since he was the prince, I couldn't really argue with him, so I let him walk with me. As we made small talk, he made a remark of how nice I looked, and he kept on making remarks on my looks, getting bolder each time. Then, about halfway through the forest, he said he wondered what I looked like without my dress on. Prince or not, I decided to run from him. He grabbed my arm before I could take a few steps and slammed me against a tree. I screamed, but he ripped some fabric from my dress and gagged me with it. He was too strong for me, and before I knew it, I had used all my strength trying to get away from him. Just what he wanted." Her voice quivers and tears start pouring down her face, while I'm frozen rock-solid with dread. No, please-

"It hurt s-so bad." She half-sobs. "When he was done, he threatened to kill my family and you if I breathed a word to anyone. Then he left. I put on what was left of my dress and ran home as fast as I could. I didn't want him coming back. I tried to act normal once I got home, but my parents immediately knew what had happened just by taking one look at me. They asked me who did it. Remembering his threat, I told them I was blindfolded from behind and didn't recognize the voice. I've never seen Dad so angry, or Mom so heartbroken." Amara whimpers from the memory.

"I stayed home the next day, resting and trying to decide what I should do. I eventually decided to visit you the next day and to tell you first, but when I got there, he was there with you and you announced your engagement. That was when I realized that he could kill you, and my family, without being caught or suspected. It was my word, some poor girl, against his, the prince of Pallertha. So I stayed quiet, hoping that me not liking him would be enough for you to change your mind about marrying him." Her gaze drops to the ground.

"It wasn't. So I was left with the hope of you never seeing the side of him that I saw and of you ruling and changing the kingdom for the better." She looks back up at me with tears still falling down her face, at a slower pace now, and she waits for my reaction. I can't do anything, however.

I'm frozen.

Scourge... the man who brought butterflies to my stomach? My.._. fiancé?_ Now I know what that look on her face was every time I mentioned him: fear and hatred.

"Amy? Please, say something." Amara pleads, fear overtaking her features. I try to speak.

"Scourge... he... I..." Unable to take anymore, I flee into Sonic's cabin and shut the door. I fling myself onto the bed and I try to sob all my heartache away.

**This Wednesday is my birthday, so you can think of your review as a present to me if you want. ;) I'd love it! XD (If you're going to leave criticism, do so in a respectful manner. Calling this story 'garbage' won't do anything. *Cough**** TheTruthCritic****! Cough*)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Guests, coolermaster, FireWitch25, Sunset Rose 22, DragonTooth24006, sonamyfan21, WorldOfSpeed, arianahewitt, thanks for the reviews! This is the most reviews I've gotten for a chapter so far! :D**

**I own Amara and this story. Sega or Archie own the other characters.**

**Chapter 10**

**Sonic's P.O.V.**

She ran.

I stare in shock at my cabin door, where Amy just ran through moments ago. She ran and left her friend, who needs her now more than ever, behind.

"She hates me! She hates me!" I hear Amara cry out in sorrow. I tear my gaze away from my door and look at the broken hedgehog sobbing uncontrollably as Shadow holds her, trying to comfort her.

"Get her to bed." I order. Shadow nods and, gently scooping her up into his arms, takes her into his cabin. I look back at my door.

I shouldn't be surprised. I didn't know the extent of how different Amy was from other rich people. Now I know. She draws the line when it comes to ruining her prince's 'good' name. Poor Amara. At least she has Shadow.

Amy does not deserve the luxury of a bed. No, she can stay in a cell for the remainder her stay for all I care. Well, the other cell that isn't busted up from her disobeying me earlier today, that is. With that thought, I walk to my door and open it. After my eyes adjust to the dark, I see her figure curled up on my bed, crying into one of my pillows. I shake my head in disgust and I shut the door. Amy doesn't move.

"Pathetic." I spit. "Your _'best friend'_ gets raped by your fiance and needs you, yet here you are, crying, because he isn't as perfect as you thought." She continues to cry, my words seemingly having no effect on her. Undeterred, I walk over and am about to yank her off the bed, when she finally speaks.

"My fault." She whimpers. "I-It's all m-my fault." She turns over and her tear-stained face looks up at the ceiling, her eyes glossy and unfocused. "If she n-never knew me, she never w-would have met _h-him_!" She starts to cry harder.

"What about your precious Prince Scourge?" I sneer. She whimpers and covers her ears with her hands.

"S-Sc-... _Him_." She shudders and shakes her head violently, ears still covered. "It's all my fault." She buries her face back in my pillow, her body shaking from her sobs. She continually repeats that sentence, the words slurring together and muffled by the pillow.

I watch her in confusion before I realize she's not crying because of Scourge's ruined image.

She's crying because she feels responsible.

With this realization I sit down besides her, no longer angry with her. "It's not your fault." I say gently.

"It's my fault!" She shouts through the pillow.

"Amy, look at me!" I take the pillow from her and make her sit up. She looks back at me, the crazed look in her eyes making me uneasy.

"It's not. Your. Fault." I say firmly.

"It's all m-" I cover her mouth with my hand.

"No, it's not. You had no idea. You can't control what he does." Her eyes start to focus on me. A good sign. "Now listen to me. Why did you run off like that?"

"I-I couldn't l-look at her a-anymore. Not w-when I know i-it's my fault!" Her eyes start to unfocus again.

"Hey hey!" I grab her face and keep her looking me. "It's not your fault, but you running off like that hurt Amara. She thinks you hate her." That does the trick. Her eyes fully focus on me and she frowns in confusion.

"I d-don't hate her."

"You running off made her think otherwise." I say slowly. Her eyes widen and she leaps off the bed.

"I-I need to see her!" She starts towards the door.

"Wait a minute." I go and step ahead of her. "I'll go with you." I lead her next door to Shadow's cabin. She won't be able to get past him if it's just her. I knock on the door. Shadow opens it, his gaze hardening on Amy.

"What?"

"They need to talk. You know that." I gesture over to Amy with a nod of my head. He sighs heavily, his body still blocking the doorway, then he reluctantly steps aside. I motion for Amy to walk in first. When she enters, she sees Amara curled up on Shadow's bed, staring blankly at the wall. The sad sight brings tears back to Amy's eyes.

"Amara?" Amy's voice is above a whisper. It's enough to catch the magenta hedgehog's attention, though. The two stare at each other for a minute before Amy runs over to Amara and hugs her, both starting to cry again.

Feeling awkward just standing there, I nudge Shadow with my elbow. "We should step outside and give them some space." Shadow nods in agreement and follows me out the door. We walk back over to the helm, where this all unfolded just minutes ago. As we stand in silence I notice strong gusts of wind, warning the storm is approaching.

"So, how long have you known?" I break the silence.

"Since her second night here."

"That soon?" She didn't tell her best friend of over a decade, but she told someone she met the day before?

"Yeah, so?" Shadow narrows his eyes at me. I shake my head in bewilderment.

"You really like her, huh?" I've never seen Shadow show much emotion for, let alone to, someone. Now that I have time to fully acknowledge that Shadow has a girlfriend, I can't help but to feel flabbergasted. Looks like Mr. People-Are-Overrated has feelings after all.

"If you are making me talk about this, then I will make you talk about yourself and Amy." Shadow crosses his arms.

"What are you talking about?" I look at him incredulously. What about me and Amy?

"Now now, Faker." Shadow smirks. "Surely even you have noticed how different you treat her now than you did at first." My ears flicker in irritation.

"I didn't know her then." I say defensively.

"Oh, so you know her very well now?" I scowl at him.

"Alright! You shut up, I'll shut up. Happy?" He just continues to smirk at me. I roll my eyes and turn away from him to watch the dark, rolling ocean waves.

"Sure, you could say that, but it is only because I ignored my head." What? I hear his footsteps and I turn my head to see him walking over to the doors leading below deck. "I am going to make sure all our supplies are secured." He gestures to the storm clouds behind him and walks down the descending stairs.

What a irritatingly confusing guy. What he said moments ago made absolutely no sense. None. It was even more annoying when he acted like he didn't even say it. What's really bugging me, though, is his implication of me caring for Amy as more than a friend. Uh, no. I already know what it's like to love someone, and I definitely do not feel that way about Amy. Even if I did, which I don't, it wouldn't work out. She's filthy rich, used to living a pampered life, and I'm... me. It'd be remarkable if we lasted even two weeks.

Wait, why the hell am I even thinking about this?! With a frustrated shake of my head, I double-check Silver's work, needing to be focused on something else.

As I climb down the rigging, having just gotten done making sure the sails are secure, someone calls me.

"Sonic?"

I look down and see Amy, eyes slightly red but otherwise tear-free. All my earlier thoughts come rushing back into my head and I loose my grip on the rope, falling down the rest of the seven feet and landing flat on my back.

"Oof!" The drop nearly knocks the air out of my lungs.

"Sonic, are you okay?" I see Amy lean over me with a concerned look.

"Yep!" I quickly scramble back onto my feet, heat rising up to my face. "Just fine and dandy! H-how are you?" I nervously scratch the back of my head. Smooth.

Her lips form into a small smile. "Okay, I guess. Amara fell asleep so I decided to come out here." Amy moves some of her quills out of her face after a burst of wind, her face filled with exhaustion and sorrow. Suddenly, a white flash temporarily lights the night, a loud boom following seconds after and making the pink hedgehog jump.

"Come on," I say once raindrops start to sprinkle down. "let's get ya inside. We won't be training tonight." After making sure the wheel is locked into position so we don't steer off course- another useful invention of Tails'- I follow her into my room. As soon as I close my door, the ship suddenly tilts. Having experienced many storms before, I easily keep my footing. Amy, however, is unprepared and gravity takes a hold of her. I dash over and catch her before she can slam onto the hard floor.

"Thanks." She gasps, her jade eyes wide with surprise.

"No problem." I set her back up on her feet and she cautiously makes her way over to my bed. She climbs under the covers and curls up, sighing in exhaustion.

"'Night." I turn to go back out into the storm. The ship may not steer off course, but it can still be blown off course by the storm.

"Wait," I turn to see her sitting up with her head bowed down. "Could you... stay here with me?" She glances at me before looking back down at her hands. "I don't want to be alone with my thoughts right now." She whispers

"I really have to go-" I see her shoulders slump and I can't help but to feel bad. One's thoughts can be their worst enemy, as I've already found out. "Well, I, uh, guess I can stay until you fall asleep."

"Thank you." She smiles weakly as I go over to the bed and lay on top of the covers. She lays back down.

As I lay there I listen to the wind howl outside, to the rain as it pours, and to the creaks my ship makes as the waves crash against it. The storm certainly is noisy, but not strong enough to damage my ship. Even knowing that, I still can't help but to feel anxious. Some things just don't change I guess.

Amy suddenly groans queasily, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"You okay?" I ask quietly, not sure if she's awake or asleep.

"I'm alright. The rocking just gets old after awhile." She grumbles. I chuckle.

"You get used to it after awhile." She doesn't say anything after that. "You better get some sleep. I'm givin' ya a break tonight, but you're definitely training in the morning." I roll over into a more comfortable position, smirking at her exasperated groan.

It's not long before I hear her quiet, even breaths. "Amy?" I whisper. She doesn't reply. I slowly get up, not wanting to wake her, and I grab my rain coat. I go back outside and see Shadow at the helm. As nice as it is to be able to rely on him to handle things when I am busy, I am still annoyed with him for the headache he gave me earlier.

"How's she holdin', Shads?" I shout above the howling winds.

"Everything is still in check!" He answers. I nod and take the wheel from him. "By the way," He says as he steps aside. "I do not think falling from the rigging is the way to get her attention!"

That damn hedgehog...

**XXXXX**

"Whoa, there's a lot of water up here! And- wait. Is that a fish?! There's a fish up here!" Charmy excitedly exclaims from the crows nest.

"How did a fish get way up there?" Knuckles squints his one eye up at the lookout, where Charmy is unsuccessfully trying to catch the fish.

"No idea." I shrug. Like I had predicted, the storm last night wasn't too intense. The results are just some water and clumps of seaweed above deck. Apparently there's a a fish too...

"Ha! Got it!" Charmy, now soaked, grins down at us with a silver fish wriggling in his hand. "Eep!" The fish wriggles its way out if his grip and falls. Before we can warn her, the fish drops right on top of Rouge's head.

"Ew! Get it off!" She shrieks as it flops around, and she tries to slap the fish off her head. It flips off before she can hit it, however. Blaze calmly scoops up the suffocating fish and tosses it back into the ocean it.

"Eeew." Rouge groans with disgust while the rest of us laugh. She glares up at Charmy, who's gasping for air from laughing so hard. "Don't you worry, honey. You're going to get what's coming to you soon enough." She growls before going below deck to take a bath, I'm guessing.

"Heheh. Poor kid." Knuckles snickers, glad it's not him she's after.

"It- was an- accident- though!" Charmy says as he continues to laugh.

"That's not helping your case, Charmy." Amy shakes her head with an amused smile. Training this morning actually went very well. She's learning more than I expected, and she's already very handy with that hammer of hers. I touch my left forearm and wince. I made the mistake of trying to block one of her hits with my arm, something I'll never do again. She also looks much better compared to last night, but there's still a look in her eyes that worries me. I don't know what, but it's there.

"Shadow!" I look behind me, towards the helm, and see a frowning Amara, in her clothes but also looking like she just woke up, with her messy quills and all. "Why didn't you wake me up?" She demands while stifling a yawn.

"You needed the rest." He raises an eyebrow at her. She narrows her eyes at him.

"Ten hours is way too much." I hear a snicker and I find Amy standing to my left.

"When she gets too much sleep, Amara gets very cranky." She explains softly to me. I chuckle. This should be interesting.

"So you would prefer waking up at dawn instead?" Shadow crosses his arms, also narrowing his eyes at her.

"Yes! I've practically slept the day away now! No thanks to you!" She growls, even though it been like, three hours since sunrise. "You even made me miss breakfast." She stomps her way into the kitchen.

"What the hell?" Shadow mutters under his breath once she has disappeared into the kitchen.

"She slept too long. Now she's cranky, obviously." Amy explains, her amused smile still on her face.

"Will she be like this all day?" A slight grimace appears on his face. Amara walks out of the kitchen, eating an apple, with a frown still on her face.

"Watch and learn." Amy winks at us and walks up to Amara, stopping her. "Amara, you need to take three deep breaths. You're going to scare Shadow away." She giggles. Amara narrows her eyes and clenches her jaw. Oh jeez, Amy...

Amara suddenly bursts out laughing. "Three breaths? Damn it, I thought I was controlling myself better than that!" She grins sheepishly. She walks over to Shadow and hugs him. "Sorry I got moody there." Shadow hugs her back, but his face is the same as my thoughts: what had just happened?

"Whoa whoa whoa," Silver eyes widen while looking at the pair. "Are you two together? As in 'together' together?" This catches the attention of everybody, all eyes set upon them.

"It's also called 'dating', Silver." Blaze tells her husband, still maintaining her look of shock at the couple. Amara looks up at Shadow to answer.

"Yes." He answers in his usual monotone voice. "Make an ordeal about it and I will hurt you." He threatens before anyone can say anything.

"Shadow, be nice." Amara gently elbows him. Shadow huffs and flattens his ears while Silver opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again, then closes it.

"... I'm going to check on Rouge." Knuckles rushes below deck.

Silver sighs heavily, but stays quiet. Everybody else follows suit, but not without their looks of surprise. Even Espio has one.

The silence is broken with, "Aww! Not you guys too! It's bad enough having Knuckles dating Rouge and Silver married to Blaze!" The young bee whines, not impressed by relationships. "What's next? Cap'n and Amy getting together?" Charmy throws up his hands in exasperation. I feel my face grow hot as everybody looks at Amy and I with sly, bemused grins.

"No!" I quickly answer. Thanks, Charmy.

A high-pitch shriek is suddenly heard from below, growing louder. "AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWE!" Rouge bounds up the stairs to the deck, only a towel wrapped around her bubbly, soaking wet body, closely followed by a nervous Knuckles. "Shadow loves a giiiiiiirl!" Rouge grins and tightly hugs the two, also getting them wet.

"Rouge. Get. Off." Shadow growls and tries to get out of her embrace.

"I thought I'd never see the day!" Rouge dramatically exclaims, ignoring the irritated ebony hedgehog.

"Rouge." Amara wheezes. "Air." Rouge releases them and beams at them both.

"Oh, this is just to unbelievable! Oh! Does this mean you'll stay, Amara? We can stay up late at night and gossip, and..." I tune out the rest of what she has to say, not caring what plans Rouge already has. I look at Amy and see her look painfully at Amara.

"Hey," I gently touch her shoulder. "you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Just... thinking." She sighs. I let the subject go, not wanting to pry. I hate people who can't mind their own damn business. It's one thing to be curious, but it's another to be nosy.

"Hey, Charmy! You're slackin'!" Vector points in front of the ship, the city of Dascoun now visible.

"Oh, uh, hey Cap'n! Dascoun, straight ahead!" Charmy shouts down to me right after he sees the city.

"Gee, you don't say?" I roll my eyes. Good. We're right on schedule. "Alright Charmy, keep a look out for any royals, got it?" He nods in understanding and I look at the others. "The rest of you get ready." They disperse to their rooms and I go to the steering wheel.

"What are you doing?" Amy asks curiously, standing to my right.

"Going to a secret bay I know. Can't exactly dock in a city when you're a wanted guy. Not including the ladies of course." I wink at her.

"Oh I'm sure." She scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"You know it. Now go get some clothes packed. We're staying in Dascoun for two nights."

"Aye aye!" I smirk as she leaves and continue to steer.

We drop anchor in Sonic's Bay, named by yours truly, and take the lifeboats to get to shore. I found this area as a kid, during one of my runs. It's perfect for hiding my ship, and it's located well enough to discourage any wanna-be explorers from discovering this place too.

We hike through the forest, towards my childhood city. We stop once we're near the border and put on our hooded cloaks, all different colors. Wearing dark-colored cloaks would be like begging to be noticed, since every sneaky person thinks it's a good idea to wear dark clothing, totally not suspicious, and gets caught for 'some reason'. Well, not me. I'm too smart for that. I watch Amy as she lifts her light blue hood over her head, the hood doing a good job of hiding her face.

"Amy," She looks up at me. "I'm going to trust ya here, okay? Rather than tying you up or somehow prevent you from fleeing, which would be conspicuous anyways, I'm just going to trust that you will follow. Understand?" This will be a good test. I'm not too worried about her running off. Now that she knows who her fiance truly is, I doubt she's in any rush to see him now. Doesn't mean she can't just take off though...

"Yes." She nods. I nod back and lead the way into the city. We weave through the bustling streets of people, no one paying any mind to us as we pass.

An hour later, with Amy still here and no other unexpected troubles, we find ourselves in the poorer part of the city, in front of a medium-sized, lavender house with a decent-sized yard.

Home.

I open and walk through the gate, my crew following me, and I knock on the front door.

"Coming!" I hear an all-too familiar voice call. I smirk and I knock again. "Hold on, I said I was coming!" She says in an irritated voice.

"I'm waiting!" I say loudly, something I've constantly said to her throughout the years, it always annoying her. The door flings open and Sonia looks at me in surprise.

"Sonic?"

I lower my hood. "Hey, sis." I grin.

"Sonic!" She shouts with glee and tackles me with a hug. I chuckle and hug her back. "You're just in time for lunch!" She looks behind me and notices everyone else. "Good thing Mom has plenty of leftovers." She chuckles. "Come on in. Mom is going to be so happy to see you all." With a smile, she grabs my hand and pulls me inside.

"Sonia dear, who is at the door?" I hear my mother's voice call from the kitchen. Sonia and I stop in the kitchen doorway, my mom having her back to us as she grabs the dishes from the cupboard for lunch.

"Just some loser and his friends." Sonia smirks at me.

"Please, you're just jealous you're not as awesome as I am." I stick out my tongue at her.

"What did I tell you two about- Sonic!" My mother whirls around and beams with happiness.

"Hey Mom." I grin and I hug her.

"Oh how I have missed my boy." Mom holds me back at arm's length and smiles lovingly, her eyes staring to water.

"Aww come on Mom, don't cry. I'm here." I soothe her, really hoping she doesn't cry.

"Sorry. I am just happy to see you. It has been a while." She blinks away her tears and a pang of guilt hits me.

"I know, and I'm sorry. It's been chaotic lately and-"

"It is alright, dear." She interrupts. "I understand." She smiles softly.

"Hey! What's up bro?" I turn and see Manic in the doorway at the other end of the kitchen, a huge smile on his face.

"Same old, same old." I shrug and give him a hug, patting his back.

"Oh, you mean you're still lame?"

Home sweet home.

**Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Yikes, I feel like it's been forever! That, or a lot has happened since last time: a classmate's death (may he rest peacefully), homecoming, buddy senior pictures, and of course, homework galore! Damn school!**

**Anyways...**

**arianahewitt, Sara lovelymusic, FireWitch25, thanks for the reviews!**

**I own Amara and this story. Sega or Archie own the other characters.**

**Chapter 11**

**Amy's P.O.V.**

As I watch Sonic reunite with his family, I can't help but to be filled with sorrow. Sure, my family will be happy once I return, but it won't be long before they forget about me again. No, it won't be long before they make me marry... _Scourge_. Just thinking about marrying him, let alone thinking his name, makes me nauseous. I don't want to go back. I have nothing there for me anymore. No close family, no love, not even my best friend. She's found her love, and she's sticking with him. I wouldn't let her stay with me anyways, now that I know what happened.

God, to face him everyday after what he did to her, unable to say a thing, just for my safety. Amara is the best friend I could ask for, and that's why it's killing me so. I would figure out a way so that I don't have to go back, but I have two obstacles in my way: where would I go, and what happens if I don't marry Scourge? I can't stay with Sonic's crew, I doubt Sonic would let me stay, and I have no other family that I know of. I would be completely on my own. Then there's what Amara told me-_ '...you'll be a great queen! If you died, then the kingdom will be robbed of a bright and happy future.' _I didn't think too much of it at the time. I figured Scourge would be able to rule just fine without me, but now that I know what he's capable of, can I let Pallertha be under his complete control? Can I jeopardize people's happiness just for my own?

I jolt out of my thoughts as a green hedgehog, his brother I'm guessing, walks into the kitchen and greets Sonic. At first glance, because of his color and my current thoughts, I thought he was Scourge. Once I took a closer look, however, I quickly realized that to my relief, he wasn't. His green fur is lighter than Scourge's, his eyes are brown, he has multiple quills sticking up and set in a messy style, and he has two gold-hoop earrings in his left ear. He also has that same cocky smirk Sonic has too...

"Now Manic, your brother just got home." Sonic's mother fixes Manic with a disapproving look.

"Yeah, Manic. This is my greeting after two months?" Sonic's voice sounds hurt, but as Aleena, if I remember her name correctly, keeps her eyes on Manic, Sonic childishly sticks his tongue out at his brother. Manic shakes his head and chuckles.

"Whatever. How about we eat now?"

"Oh!" Aleena eyes the rest of us worriedly. "I wish you could have told me you were coming first, Sonic. I do not think I have enough food for everyone."

"Ah, don't worry about it Mom. We can get food from the market." He shrugs. Aleena scrunches up her face.

"No. As hostess, it is my duty to serve my guests."

"It's really no trouble, ma'am." I speak up, feeling like I should say something. "We'd hate to burden you to feed us when we can easily go get food ourselves." The others nod in agreement.

"Why, who's this beauty? I know I've never seen your pretty face before." Manic walks over to me and takes my hand.

"Amelia Rose, but you can, uh, c-call me Amy." I stutter and blush as he kisses my hand.

"Lovely name. The name's Manic, in case ya missed it." He winks and straightens up. He's very similar to Sonic.

"Come on, Amy." Sonic abruptly grabs my hand and takes me over to his mother and sister, his grip tight and a small frown on his face. I frown at him as disappointment fills me. I guess he doesn't like me talking to his family. So much for thinking we are on better terms now.

We stop in front of his mother and sister as he introduces me to them, his frown nowhere to be found. "This is my mother, Aleena, and my sister, Sonia." Or maybe not...

"A pleasure, Amelia." Aleena smiles at me. Aleena has light purple fur with long, violet quills and has the same green eyes as Sonic.

"Hiya Amy!" Sonia grins cheerfully. Sonia has dark magenta fur with pink quills, a shade darker than mine, and she has hazel eyes.

"Who is the other young lady, Sonic?" I look to where Aleena gestures and see Amara.

"Amara Vipsin, Ma'am." Amara nods politely.

"Also Shadow's girlfriend." Sonic adds with a smirk. Shadow calmly looks at him.

"Why are you holding Amy's hand, Faker?" My eyes widen and I realize that, sure enough, my hand is still in his. Sonic quickly lets go and rubs a finger under his nose, muttering something along the lines of '_stupid_' and '_no fun_'.

"Faker?" Manic looks at Shadow curiously.

"Boy! I sure am hungry!" Sonic interrupts, rubbing his stomach.

"Alright, that is enough chatter for right now. Set up the tables out back and I shall serve as much food as I can." Aleena shoos all of us out the door Manic came through earlier, leading out to the back yard.

"Seriously, what's with the name 'Faker'?" Manic asks again as we're ushered out, not dropping the subject.

"Well, you see..." Knuckles starts explaining with a smirk as they go to retrieve some tables. Feeling like my assistance won't be needed by them, I turn and go back to Aleena before she can go back into the kitchen.

"Please, at least allow me to help you." I just met her minutes ago and I already like Sonic's mother. I also don't like the thought of her making all this food by herself.

"Yeah, Mom. The guys can handle the tables." Sonia walks up to us, motioning for the other girls to come back over as she does.

"Oh alright. Thank you." Aleena smiles appreciatively at us and leads the way back into the kitchen. Blaze and Sonia heat up the leftovers, Amara brings the food over to Aleena and I while we make the plates, and Rouge goes and serves the food out back.

"So, Amelia, how have you come to know my son?" Aleena asks me as we make the plates.

"Well, he, uh, kidnapped me and Amara about five days ago, actually." I smile nervously, not sure if Sonic wants her to know. Too late now, I guess.

Aleena whips her head towards me, wide-eyed. "He _kidnapped_ you?" Uh-oh. I hesitantly nod. The purple hedgehog frowns and silently continues to make the plates. I do so as well.

"I don't hate him." I say quietly after a few moments. "He has treated the both of us well, and I know he's doing this to get ransom so he can help others." I suddenly feel bad for tattling on Sonic. With this feeling, I have to stop myself from chuckling out loud. Things have definitely changed if I'm defending my kidnapper now.

"Oh? So you're okay with being taken away from your family?" She glances at me, her voice hard and her face challenging. She's definitely not happy.

"Well, not at first." I admit. It's all I can say, really. She already knows what I basically felt about being kidnapped. "I understand and am okay with it now, though." It's the only thing I can say to soften it. Aleena shakes her head in disappointment and I keep my mouth shut for the rest of the time we make the plates, afraid of accidentally upsetting her more.

After we're all seated out back and we all have food in front of us, Aleena speaks up.

"Sonic," His mother keeps her gaze on her plate as she stabs a piece of steak with her fork. "what did you tell me was the reason for you deciding to become a pirate six years ago?" He looks questioningly at her.

"That I wanted to help the poor people?"

"Yes," She nods. "and what did I make you promise me?"

"To keep the innocent out of it."

"Right again. So tell me then," She looks up from her food to his face. "why did you kidnap Amy and Amara?" Everyone stills, not even the sound of chewing can be heard. Sonic throws me a hard glare. I look back guiltily. "Well?"

"Mom, you don't understand. Amy is engaged to Prince Scourge." I cringe at the last part. He's still planning to give me back to Scourge. Well, I guess, why wouldn't he? It's not his problem that I now despise my fiancé.

"Prince?!" Aleena gasps. "Sonic, what have you done?" Worry quickly replaces her anger. "And Amara?"

"Just her poor friend. Amy refused to go anywhere with me without her, so I had no choice but to take Amara as well."

"Oh, son. It's one thing to pillage ships, but to kidnap people? Especially one of them being a prince's bride." Aleena shakes her head, worry still the prominent feature on her face.

"Don't worry, Mom! I'm just using her for ransom." For some reason, a quick, sharp pain hits my chest. _Just_ ransom. "We've been careful to avoid any royals, and they're obviously fine!" Sonic gestures over to me and Amara. Aleena shakes her head.

"Just be careful, Son. This is not something to be treated lightly." She warns.

"I know, Mom. I know." He pats her hand with a sincere smile. She tiredly sighs before looking around the table.

"He has been treating them well, correct?"

"Mom-" Aleena silences Sonic with a raised hand.

"Not at first!" Charmy snickers. "He made Amy work for us and made Amara Shadow's slave!" Aleena's eyebrows rise.

"I volunteered, actually," Amara speaks up, also not wanting the older hedgehog to be more upset. "and I'm obviously not unwillingly under his control now." Shadow leans his head close to her ear.

"_Obviously_." He says in a low, husky voice, causing her to blush and elbow him away from her.

"And I thought I would do Amy a favor by making her learn what work is, her being the daughter of one of Pallertha's richest dukes and all." Sonic explains.

"Sonic, you above all people should know that not all rich people are the same." Much to my confusion, Sonic's ears twitch and pain flashes across his face before it's gone. Aleena gives him a small, sad smile and pats his arm before turning her attention back to the rest of us.

"It seems there has been quite a lot I have missed since the last I have seen you all. Do you mind informing me?"

The crew launches into telling what they've been up to these last two months, and I go back to my thoughts.

What to do...

**XXXXX**

Dascoun is a lot more crowded than anywhere I've ever been in Pallertha. As I follow Sonia, who weaves effortlessly through the sea of people, I bump into someone every three seconds.

"Yeesh, there sure are a lot of people here." I hear Amara grumble from behind me.

"Perfect for pick-pocketing if you ask me." I turn to find Rouge eying a man's wallet located in his back pocket.

"Rouge..." Blaze warns with a roll of her eyes.

"What? I wasn't referring to myself." The white bat says defensively.

Aleena sent us girls to get groceries for dinner later tonight while the guys... well, who knows? Sonic was reluctant to let me go without him, but Sonia reassured him that she'd keep an eye on me and that it wasn't worth the risk of him being spotted by a royal guard or a loyal Robotnian. She also pointed out that no one here would recognize me, since there are no posters with my picture anywhere that she's noticed. I know he was worried about me running off and about keeping a low profile here, yet a small part of me can't help but to wonder, maybe Sonic simply didn't want me to go?

Whoa. Backtrack, wrap that thought up, and store it away to be dissected later. This is hardly the place for me to get lost in my thoughts. Especially about_ that._

Sonia stops in front of a produce cart and I nearly run into her. "Hey Amy, grab two pounds of potatoes please." She goes to the others to tell them what to get. Luckily I've been shopping with Amara and her family, so I know what to look for and how to measure it. I wouldn't have had a clue without those trips, to be honest. Sonic would've got a kick out of that.

As I fill a sac full of potatoes, I notice a poster on one of the cart's posts:

_WANTED_

_SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, ALIVE_

_REWARD: 2 MILLION RINGS_

_-King Marcus, King of Pallertha_

There's also a drawing of Sonic, but it's not very good. It's like a young teenager drew it. Nevertheless, seeing the poster makes me uneasy. Sonic may trust the people here, but I don't. This is a lot of reward money, and people do crazy things for money...

"Hey," I jump as Sonia steps up to my left. "you alright?"

"Uh, yeah." I glance at the poster again. She follows my gaze and nods understandingly.

"It's weird seeing his face on these, portrayed as some criminal, but don't worry. He's safe here just as long as he keeps his head low. Believe it or not, almost everyone here knows him." She gestures around at the crowd of people.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. With that speed of his, zooming to wherever he pleases all his life, how could people not know him?" She grins and shakes her head. I chuckle, easily believing it.

Sonia looks over my shoulder and her smile drops, her face darkening. I turn to see what she's glaring at, and I see a older chipmunk couple. From their apparel, it's easy to tell they are rich. That, and from the vibes of superiority they give off. Both of them return Sonia's glare as they pass, the cold exchange actually giving me chills.

"Who are they?" I ask once they've passed.

"No one important, regardless of what they think." Sonia grumbles. Seeing that she isn't going to elaborate, I continue to fill the sac with potatoes and weigh it. The other girls return with their assigned produce not long before I finish with mine.

As we finish our shopping, I decide that I like Sonia. She's kind and cheerful, which is why it's hard for me to forget that chipmunk couple. What could've happened that causes Sonia to loose her kind demeanor at the mere sight of them?

We return to Aleena's house and take the groceries to the kitchen. It's when all the groceries are inside that I notice just how much food we bought.

"This is a lot." I gape at the mountain of food.

"Well there are nine men." Aleena chuckles.

"It's not fair." Amara pouts. "They can eat all this food and not get fat while we get fat from just eating half of it?!"

"Just another sacrifice women make." Blaze sighs. Silver walks into the kitchen and snags an apple from the table.

"Well maybe if women worked as hard as..." We all glare daggers at the ivory hedgehog, daring him to continue. "I, uh, can't wait for dinner, you amazing ladies!" He nervously smiles and quickly retreats out of the kitchen.

"We should make him cook." Rouge glares at the empty doorway Silver just went through.

"That would be a good punishment, but I actually want to eat a good meal tonight." Blaze smirks. The rest of us chuckle.

"Wait," An idea forms in my head. "what if we made not only Silver cook, but the rest of the guys too?"

"I think you're onto something, Amy." Rouge grins evilly at me.

"We made lunch and got the groceries while they just lazed about. They can at least make dinner!" Sonia agrees. Aleena smiles and laughs softly.

"Who can argue with that logic?" With nothing holding her back now, Sonia leads the way to the living room with a sly grin, where the guys are.

"Hello boys." She casually greets as she plops down on the couch, right between Sonic and Knuckles. "You can start making dinner now."

"Dinner's already done? Sweet!" Silver jumps to his feet, discarding his apple core, while the rest of the guys start standing up too.

"Nooooo," Amara sits next to Sonia and places her feet on the coffee table before her, leaning back into a relaxed position. "she meant you guys can start cooking. We made lunch and got the groceries, now you can make dinner while we girls relax."

"What?! You serious?" Manic exclaims. We all nod, taking the seats the guys occupied moments before. "B-but we're going to screw it up!"

"I taught both you and your brother how to cook, and I know Vector here cooks as well. You, gentlemen, shall be just fine." Aleena states as she makes her way through the males and takes a seat with the rest of us.

"You got Mom too?" Sonic's shoulders slump in defeat as he glares at Sonia. She just grins and makes a shooing motion at him.

"Go on. Time is a-wastin'!"

"What about us? We're just kids!" Tails and Charmy look at us with puppy-dog eyes.

"Oh no you don't." Sonic grabs both boys by the back of their necks and steers them towards the kitchen. "If I'm cookin', you're cookin' too." The two groan in complaint, and the group of males trudge into the kitchen. We start laughing once they're out of sight.

"Oh, we have to do this more often!" Rouge wipes a tear from her eye.

"Did you see their faces?" Blaze snickers. I giggle too, the image of Sonic's disbelieving face and frown reappearing in my head.

"You do realize they're going to get us back, right?" Amara grimaces. Rouge's smile instantly drops.

"Now why'd you go and say that? Now I'm going to be paranoid around Knuckles all night!"

"I have to be careful too you know!" Amara points out.

"Only Amy and Aleena have nothing to worry about." Blaze groans.

"No," I shake my head. "I have to share a room with Sonic, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Heh, so it's just Aleena that's safe." No one would dare cross the mother hedgehog. Not anyone with a brain, that is.

"The perks of being in charge." The older purple hedgehog winks at us and links her hands behind her head, reclining back into her seat as she does.

"OUCH! Damnit that's hot!" We hear Knuckles curse from the kitchen.

Yes, the guys definitely should cook more often.

**XXXXX**

I release a tired sigh once I enter Sonic's old room, stuffed. The guys managed to pull off a really good meal: salmon, a salad produced by Aleena's garden, and some slightly-overcooked-rolls. Very yummy. Just the whole experience of this dinner was wonderful. Everybody talked, laughed, joked, and just had a good time, no one in a rush to end it. It made me truly see what my family is missing. Maybe I can change that...

Earlier, everybody arranged it so all of us wouldn't have to stay here at Aleena's: Vector, Espio, Shadow, and Amara went to Manic's house, Blaze and Silver went to Sonia's, and Knuckles, Rouge, Charmy, Tails, Sonic, and I are staying here at Aleena's. Naturally, Sonic and I get his old room. I expected to see his room fairly empty, since he's been sailing for the past six years, but I find myself to be wrong once I see his room. He still has a bed with bedding, a dresser with random knickknacks on it, and a couple other of his belongings. Curious if he still has clothes here, I go over to his dresser and open it.

I am greeted by the sight of his boxers and socks. With heat rushing to my face, I am about to slam the drawer shut when I notice a corner of a picture frame sticking out from underneath one of his clothes. Curiosity getting the better of me, I grab the corner and tug the frame out, trying my best not to touch Sonic's boxers. I flip the frame over once it's free.

I behold a small painting of a young, female chipmunk in a elegant dark blue dress. Guessing from the amount of detail, this was done by a professional. The chipmunk has both light and dark brown fur, her hair is colored a dark auburn, she has bright, sky-blue eyes, and she looks to be in her later teens. The artists did a marvelous job; her beauty is evident even in the painting.

Who is she? She looks kind of familiar, but I can't recall her face from anywhere. What does she mean to Sonic if he has a picture of her? The thought of him being taken never crossed my mind. Why should it? It's none of my business, yet I can't help but to envy her a little. What guy couldn't fall for her?

I am about to put the picture back when the door opens and Sonic walks in.

"I hope you know I still plan to have you train tonig-" His smirk drops once he spots the framed painting in my hands and his face hardens. "What the hell are you doing?" He growls and storms over to me. I flinch back as he rips the picture from my grip and places it back in his drawer, slamming it closed. "Well?" He demands with an angry look.

"I-I just-" I cower as he looms over me. I've never heard his voice nor seen his face this cold before. It's scaring me. "I'm sorry." I whisper.

"What gives you any right to look through my things?" He hisses, slightly baring his teeth. I almost whimper, but I stop it before it could escape.

I will not be dominated. Not now, not ever.

With that thought, I straighten up and throw my own glare at him. "I have no excuse. I already apologized."

"So that makes it okay?" He sneers. What's his problem? It's just a picture! It's not like I ripped it or anything.

"What more do you want from me, Sonic? I just looked at it, that all!" He glares at me a few more moments before sighing harshly and turning away to leave. I'm not letting him get away that easily. Not after exploding on me like that. He's going to tell me who she is.

"She's beautiful." I state. He hesitates. "If you're worried about me hurting her or something, don't. I would be quite offended you thought that, actually." I cross my arms and watch as he stops with his hand on the doorknob. "Whatever the case, there's no reason to snap at me like that." I can't help but to lower my ears as his angered voice and face replays in my mind. Sonic turns his head to look back at me. I must've had some sort of expression on my face because his features soften after he analyzes my face.

"You're right." He sighs after a while and releases the doorknob. He turns to fully face me, and I swear I've never seen him looked so exhausted before. "I'm sorry for reacting that way." Seeing him like this makes my annoyance dissolve.

"It's alright. I shouldn't of snooped." I admit and uncross my arms. Damn hedgehog. He's always doing that to me: making me feel things like being annoyed one minute and the next, guilty.

After a few moments of awkward a silence, I softly speak up. "Can I at least know who she is?" He narrows his eyes at me and I tense, prepared for another one of his outbursts. Instead, he watches me, a conflict clearly raging in his head, before he sighs again and he drops his guard. The cocky hedgehog I've come to know dissolves and a tired, wounded hedgehog appears.

"You don't have to talk about it." I say gently, regretting having even asked him and hating seeing him this morose.

"No, I... I want you to know." He locks eyes with me and offers me a small, pained smile. He takes a seat at the edge of his bed, and I sit besides him, fearing what grieves him so.

"Her name is Sally Acorn."

**Hehe, rotten place to stop, I know. ;) Some of you already guessed who she was a while back, but did you guess her story correctly? Find out next chap!**

**Please Review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Over 50 reviews! Whoo hoo! Thanks you guys! :D**

**FireWitch25****,**** Sunset Rose 22****, ****Kosma Bandra****, ****arianahewitt****, ****Ella Belle The Writer****, thanks for the reviews!**

**I own Amara and this story. Sega or Archie own the other characters.**

**Chapter 12**

**Sonic's P.O.V.**

"Or, as I should say, that _was_ her name." I focus my gaze on the wooden floor below me. It'll be a lot easier this way, not having to look into her kind, jade eyes as I tell this part of my past. I release a sigh and continue.

"We met when we both were seven. I was on one of my runs and found her skipping rocks on a lake not too far from here. We quickly became friends and stayed close for the next ten years. We started dating at the age of fourteen. Although, she was the one who made me ask her out. She said she was tired of waiting for me." I chuckle, despite the sharp pain in my chest.

"Her family is extremely rich. Maybe even the richest family in Robotnia. I don't know, it's never mattered to me; Sally was still Sal in my eyes." I crack a smile at the nickname I gave her, oh so long ago. "Once we started dating, however, she made me keep it a secret from her parents. She said they wouldn't understand. I doubted it, they were so nice, but I kept quiet, just as long as she was mine.

"The next three years were the best years of my life. I loved her, and she loved me. Nothing could get better. Nothing, until I decided I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Before I asked her to marry me, though, I wanted to have her parents' consent. They knew how close we were, but it was time for them to know just how close we actually were.

"When I finally had enough courage mustered up, however, they announced at dinner one night to Sally and I that they found a suitor for Sally to marry the next month. It took all the self-restraint I had to not react. I couldn't even fake a smile. Sally tried to convince her parents she should be able to choose who to marry, not them, but it was no use. _Lord_ and _Lady_ Acorn wouldn't budge." I can't help but to sneer their names in disgust. That's all they were- Lord and Lady- not the parents Sal deserved.

"After realizing they wouldn't be swayed, Sally and I decided to run off together. If I worked hard everyday, combined with the money that belonged to her and not her parents, we would've had enough to live elsewhere, so that's exactly what I did; I worked after the sun rose, doing any paying job I could, and stopped when it was too dark to see. Sally and I would meet twice a week at midnight, just to see each other.

"While I worked, Sally had no choice but to keep up the act of normalcy and to spend time with her 'fiancé'. At the insistence of her parents one night, he was to stay at their house until the wedding. Sally informed me of his stay, and said she would make sure she wouldn't be followed when she'd leave to meet me. We were just a week away from making our new lives, so I let my guard down and accepted her assurance._ 'How can we be stopped, us being so close now?'_ I thought to myself." I involuntarily clench my fists, remembering my past ignorance.

"Things were going well- we were just another two days away from meeting our goal and leaving, Sal's wedding scheduled the following day- when it all crumbled. That night was supposed to be our last nightly meeting before we ran away, but Sally never showed up. I was concerned, but I figured some family business prevented her from coming. I waited another hour just to be sure before walking home. Once I was about five minutes away from home, a shape in the bushes next to the road I was walking on caught my attention. As I got closer, the shape turned into a figure: an unmoving figure." Vivid details reappear in my head: her swollen face, her bare and bloodied body, and her vacant stare once I turned her head, her flesh cold and hard. My throat constricts and my eyes water from the gruesome memory.

"It was... was-" Six years later, and this memory still renders me speechless. I suddenly feel a hand on my right arm and I lift my head to see Amy looking at me with a tearful look, encouraging me to continue.

"While I was at work, she was beaten, raped, and left at the side of the road like garbage!" I snarl in both anger and anguish. "I could smell his scent all over her. I realized he must've followed her one night and saw us together. I should've checked. I should've saw her less. But it doesn't matter. She's gone." I rub my temples and try to control my emotions while Amy starts rubbing my shoulder comfortingly.

"Do you know the worst part? That monster is still walking around. _Free_. When I told people he did it, they looked at me incredulously and said, _'How could a gentleman like Mephiles do such a thing like that?'_ He was born and raised in the wealthy life- impossible to be such a barbarian- while I on the other hand was just some poor boy with unnatural speed- all the easier for me to kill her. So, naturally, when Mephiles accused me for her murder, everyone except my family believed him. Even her parents believed him. They've known me since I was a child, yet they still blame me to this day! I'm not convicted only because of the witnesses that came forth and testified about me working at the time she died. The _only_ reason." I can feel my composure start to disintegrate.

"I might as well be, though. _I'm_ the reason she's dead." I choke out. "She never should've loved me." Holding back my tears is getting harder by the second.

"Sonic." I hear Amy's voice crack and feel her arms wrap themselves around me, pulling me to her. I comply and hug her back, burying my face in her neck as I do so, the tears now escaping. Talking about Sally has never been an easy thing for me. It always brings up my suppressed emotions and just adds to my misery.

"I'm so sorry, Sonic." She sniffles, still clinging to me. I don't mind, however. It feels... right? "No wonder you hate me!" She exclaims tearfully.

"Hate you?" I reluctantly pull back, drying my tears, and look at her saddened face. "Why would I hate you?"

"When you needed help the most, the rich people were against you. They hold almost all the power, and because of that you never got the justice you deserved! How could you not hate the higher class?" She lowers her head in shame. "All these horrible things I'm hearing about, the wealthy are responsible for. I'm so sorry." Fresh tears start to fall down her cheeks.

"You don't have to be sorry for anything." Without thinking, I wipe away her tears while cupping her face, forcing her to look back up at me. "Amy, you're different. I see that now. Your in the same category Sally was in. You both grew up in selfish, ruthless worlds and you both somehow managed to keep your hearts. I don't hate you Amy. I tried, but I couldn't. Not when you remind me so much of her." Seeing her tears have stopped, I slowly retract my hands from her face.

"But what if I lose my heart? I'm going to have to spend the rest of my life with Scourge. How much time will pass before I lose myself?" Remembering that sick bastard, I'm suddenly filled with determination. I'm not going to let someone like Amy be lost. Not again.

"Amy," I lock eyes with her. "you don't have to go back." Her face fills with confusion.

"But, the ransom-"

"Is insignificant when compared to what you'd be giving up. You'd be giving up the chance for a happy life, Amy. That's not something I can take away from you. If you want, I can help you start a new life. Far away from Scourge." I don't miss the flicker of longing and hope that flashes across her face. "So, what are you going to do?" She stares off thoughtfully into space, a small frown on her face.

"I don't want to go back," she admits after a few moments of silence. "but I don't want to forget about the ransom. Can you please at least try and think of a way you could get the ransom and keep me from Scourge?" I shake my head with a small smile. Just like Sally: not the type to put themselves ahead of others

"Fine, but if I don't have anything by tomorrow night, you're still not going back. Understand?"

"Yes." She nods with a smile.

"Good." I can only imagine what that green slime-ball would have in store for Amy if she married him. It's something I'm not willing to let happen.

"Oh, and, uh, if you could not mention Sally to the others, that would be good. Only my family and Knuckles knows about her."

"Okay, but can I ask why?" She raises an eyebrow in confusion at me.

"It's been six years already. I don't want nor need their pity and sympathy. I just... won't be able to handle it." It's bad enough with my mom mentioning Sally every now and then, like earlier today at lunch, but receiving those looks I know I'll get from my crew would be too much.

"Alright. I promise." She makes a crossing motion over her heart.

"Thanks." I smirk. A few awkward moments pass, something obviously on the pink hedgehog's mind, but I decide to wait for her.

"Sonic, why did you tell me? Out of your crew members, why me?" Hmm... why did I?

"It seemed fair." I say slowly, still not entirely sure why. "With how I've treated you, you deserve to at least know the cause for it." I also felt like she just, needed to know. Like it would help us in some way. Telling other people what happened to Sally made things harder for me rather than making it easier. So, I've avoided talking about it all together. But now that I've told Amy, for the first time in six years, I'm starting to feel lighter. She isn't looking at me like some lost soul nor like a murderer. She knows my dark past, yet she's not letting it change how she sees me. If anything, I feel _closer_ to her.

"Well, thank you. I'm honored you trust me enough to share that with me." She gives me a full, genuine smile. It's the first time I've actually got a good look at it, and quite honestly, I'd like to see it more: her pearly-white teeth, the way her eyes sparkle with happiness, and how full it makes her lips look.

"What? Is there something in my teeth?" She self-consciously closes her lips and a lump can be seen as she runs her tongue searchingly over her teeth.

"No, I just, uh, zoned out there. Sorry." I successfully refrain myself from scratching the back of my head: a habit I seriously need to break.

"So, are we still training?" She asks after yet another few moments of awkward silence. This has been happening a lot lately, I'm noticing.

"Nah. You obliterated my mood for that." I tease.

"Oops." She smirks, not sounding sorry. I playfully narrow my eyes at her.

"Hmm. I'll let that one go. Cooking and talking about the past really takes it out of a guy." I say with a yawn and stretch.

"I'm sure." Amy rolls her eyes. She gets up and goes to change clothing. I watched her leave before I get up as well and get ready for bed.

Right about when I'm ready to fall sleep, Amy walks back into my room. Sonia bought Amy a nightgown in the market earlier today after learning she didn't have one (Sonia made sure to scold me for that one). I have to say, though, this nightgown fits Amy very nicely. The light grey dress reaches down to her knees and fits snugly on her frame, showing off curves I forget she has.

"You're staring at me again." She blushes. I snap out of my daze and blink.

"Am not." I turn over on the bed, away from her, to hide my burning face. I hear her walk across the floor and feel the mattress shift as she lays down.

"Goodnight, Sonic."

"'Night, Ames." I like how that sounds. It just popped into my head: like all the other nicknames I've come up with.

"_'Ames'_?"

"Yeah. _'Princess'_ doesn't seem to fit anymore." Especially since the main reason I gave her that name in the first place was because of her engagement to Scourge. I hear her giggle quietly.

"I like it." I can easily imagine the smile that I know she has on her face right now, the image itself enough to bring a smile to my own face.

Something has definitely shifted in Amy and I's relationship. How much, I'm not sure. It kind of scares me, but at the same time it doesn't. I guess there's nothing left to do but wait and find out...

**XXXXX**

I open my eyes to see the golden rays of the morning sun shining through my bedroom window. I go to roll over, but I stop once I notice the pressure on my right side. I look down and see Amy sound asleep on my chest. This is certainly new. Stranger yet, my arm is wrapped around her too. Did it get cold last night? I think about waking her, but seeing her peaceful face and feeling her warmth, I decide against it. I'll let her sleep in this one time.

Suddenly, Manic bursts through my door. "HEY BRO! WAKE UP!" Amy jumps and her eyes snap open, a surprised gasp escaping her lips.

Never mind.

"Oh, did I interrupt something?" I look back up to my brother and see his devious smile.

"What do you want?" I ask, irritated he ruined my peaceful moment.

"Mom said to tell you breakfast is ready."

"Already?" I'm always awake early- I can't even remember the last time when I was still asleep when breakfast was being made- so this is actually really unusual. He shrugs, and with one last amused glance, he leaves. I roll my eyes and look back at Amy, meeting her jade eyes. Realizing she's still laying on my chest and in my arms, she jumps out of bed, a bright red hue on her face.

"Sleep well?" I grin slyly at her, propping my head up with my hand. She glares at me.

"Sue. Even though I still have yet to wake up normally."

"I had no part in that this time." I put up my hands in surrender. She rolls her eyes and leaves the room to get dressed. I chuckle and climb out of bed to get dressed as well.

Once I'm finished, I make my way to the kitchen and find everybody already seated and eating breakfast. Even Amy is already here, eating her breakfast. Am I just slow today or what?

"Morning, sleepy head." Sonia smiles at me as I take my seat in between Amy and Knuckles.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." I start making my plate. Biscuits and gravy- my favorite.

"Be nice, Sonic." Mom chides me. Even as a twenty-three-year-old, she still mothers me.

"He's just cranky cause he's gotta say goodbye to his girlfriend tomorrow." Manic smirks at me.

"I'm/She's not his/my girlfriend!" Amy and I say at the same time. With an awkward glance at her, I continue.

"And, she's not leaving tomorrow."

"What?" An excited smile threatens to break loose on Charmy's face while everybody else gives me confused looks.

"She's not going back with that bastard." I state. "But I also don't want to give up the ransom. So, we need to brainstorm here and see if we can figure out a way to also get the money."

"Why can't she just go back?" Tails looks at me in confusion. I exchange a look with Shadow- he, Amy, and I the only ones who know what Scourge did. And, unless Amara says otherwise, it'll stay that way.

"Just trust me. She's better off if she didn't." The yellow fox watches me for a couple seconds more before nodding.

"Okay." That's one of the things I've always appreciated about Tails: his complete faith and trust in me. I'll even admit there's been a couple times where even I had my doubts, but he didn't.

"So let me get this straight. You not only want to escape Scourge with the money, but with Amy too?" Silver asks with an arched eyebrow.

"You've got it."

"It will not be an easy task. It will be challenging enough with just the money." Espio says.

"I know." I roll my eyes. "That's why I'm asking you guys."

"Oh, so now women's ideas don't matter? I thought we taught you a lesson yesterday." Rouge shakes her head in disappointment.

"What? I didn't mean-"

"Maybe we should make them cook for a week." Amara snickers. An explosion of noise erupts as the guys create sounds of refusal and the girls laugh.

"Alright alright! Guys AND girls," I glare pointedly at Rouge. "let's figure out how we can do this."

"What do you have planned so far?" Sonia asks me.

"In the note I left for Scourge, I told him to meet me at Mighty's Tavern, alone, and that I would be there waiting for him, alone as well, with Amy, a knife to her throat should he have any ideas." I shoot Amy a guilty look as she grimaces. "He's supposed to be there at noon tomorrow. I don't think for one second that he'll actually come alone, however. He will, at least, enter the bar alone. The original plan was for me to snatch the money as soon as I saw it and speed back to the carriage, where the rest off my crew would be waiting and immediately come back here and set sail. My problem now is how would I get both Amy and the money to the carriage? I can't carry both Amy and all those rings."

"What about the tunnel?" Manic suggests.

"What tunnel?"

"There is an old underground passageway underneath Mighty's that'll take you a block over." He explains.

"How do you know this?" Shadow asks Manic.

"How else do you think I've escaped all those poker games?" Manic smirks. Every time we visit Mighty, Manic, despite our warnings, plays poker with the toughest looking guys there. When things get heated, which is basically every game, Manic mysteriously disappears and shows up later without a scratch.

"So that's where you went!" Knuckles suddenly exclaims. "You still owe me fifty rings you know!"

"Hmm." I rub my chin thoughtfully, ignoring the frustrated echidna besides me. This just might work. "How big is the tunnel?"

"It's tall enough to run in and wide enough for two people to run side-by-side in."

"And it takes you to the next block?" Manic nods in confirmation.

"There should hardly be any guards around that area. They will be focused on the tavern." Espio informs me.

"Can someone enter the tavern through the tunnel?" I turn my attention back to my brother.

"Yeah. There are stairs, so you can either come or go." Manic answers.

"Great." I love it when things work out. "Here's what I'm thinkin': Shadow, you'll hide in the tunnel while Amy and I confront Scourge. After you hear three loud stomps, you'll come up, take the money, and take the tunnel to get back to the carriage as fast as you can. I'll be right behind you with Amy. We'll haul ass back to the ship here, sail off after we board, and lay low for a couple of months or so."

"It sounds like a pretty good plan to me." Manic leans back into his chair and crosses his arms. Various sounds of agreement are heard.

"Espio?" I turn to my battle strategizer. He sits there with a thoughtful look on his face.

"This plan would be your best option." He eventually says. "The chances of it succeeding are the same as the original plan."

"Well then, that's the new plan." I make it official and I finally take a bite of my breakfast. "Aw, damn it!" Not only did my breakfast get cold, but my biscuits are soggy too!

"Language, Sonic! We still have plenty of extras." Mom scolds me.

"You didn't mind when I said 'bastard' or 'ass'." I mutter as I make myself a new plate.

"What was that?" She arches an eyebrow at me.

"But now all the food is cold." I quickly say. I hear Amy softly snicker as she tries to hold back her laughter.

"That's what I thought." Mom smirks dangerously at me and takes her dishes to the kitchen.

"I love your mom." Amy laughs, everybody else also chuckling. "It's nice to know that you can be controlled. Somewhat." She smirks at me.

"She somehow knows what I'm up to, that's all! It actually sucks." I grumble. If she calls me 'mama's boy', we're gonna have issues.

"Agreed." Manic nods.

"You guys also never learn." Sonia whispers. Then, in her normal voice, she says, "I think Mom's perfect. To handle you two and still be sane practically makes her a saint."

"Thank you, dear!" Mom calls from the kitchen, making both Manic and I jump. She appears in the doorway, wiping a plate dry. "You can stay with the others while your ungrateful brothers come help me clean up." With her back to Mom, Sonia grins at us in triumph.

"Are you sure Mom?" She asks sweetly.

"Absolutely. Gather all the dishes and get in here boys." Manic and I exchange shocked looks.

"But I'm still eating!" I say, happy I have an excuse. I'm going to take my sweet time eating, too. Manic shoots me a dirty look.

"Help us when your done then. Come on, Manic." Mom goes back into the kitchen. Manic groans and stands up.

"Damn you." He growls lowly at our sister as he passes her.

"Learn from others' mistakes." She says after him with a smirk.

"It's only been a couple hours and this is already quite the day." Vector grins.

"Hehe, Cap'n has to do what his mommy says." Charmy snickers.

"Watch it." I say warningly. "I can always add to your chores."

"We'll just tell your mom then." Amara grins at me. Everybody bursts out into laughter. Even Shadow chuckles. Shadow!

I groan and try to ignore them. There's no way in hell I'm staying in this house all day. I'm barely surviving now...

**I say, do I detect some... Sonamy? XD**

**Please Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**This is a bit longer than usual... oh well. Enjoy!**

**Sara lovelymusic****, ****arianahewitt****, ****Sunset Rose 22****, ****Guest****, ****sad Little demon****, ****Gilgamesh92****, ****AmegakureAngel****, thanks for the reviews!**

**I own Amara and this story. Sega or Archie own the other characters. **

**Chapter 13**

**Amy's P.O.V.**

"You're _what_?" Knuckles looks at the hedgehog couple in bewilderment.

"They're going on a date!" Rouge squeals while squeezing her boyfriend's arm.

"They might as well. Although, you guys are doing things backwards. I believe you go on a date first, then the bedroom." Stretched out on the couch, Sonic grins slyly at Amara and Shadow.

"Shut up, Sonic!" My friend growls, her face turning red while Shadow's lips turn up into a small smirk. Typical guy. Although, it's weird for me to think about my best friend already being in that kind of relationship. She said my engagement was fast, but what about her and Shadow? They knew each other for a shorter amount of time than Scourge and I did and they already did... _that_.

"Sonic..." Aleena groans, shaking her head at her son.

"I still think it's cute." Rouge says. She suddenly frowns and glares at Knuckles. "Why don't you think of stuff like that? I can't remember the last time when it was just the two of us!" She complains.

While the bat's attention is focused elsewhere, Shadow grabs Amara's hand and pulls her through the front door. 'Bye!' She mouths to me before she disappears outside.

"We were alone on Chaos Island!" I hear Knuckles argue. I turn my head back in their direction and see Rouge shaking her head.

"Doesn't count." She crosses her arms.

"Agghh." Knuckles clamps his eye shut in frustration and rubs his temples. "Fine. How about we do whatever you want today?" He huffs, already knowing that's exactly what's going to happen.

"Oh, Knuckie!" She coos and kisses his cheek, making his face an even brighter shade of red. "Hey, where'd they go?" She looks around, taking notice of Amara as Shadow's absence. I point towards the open door, and Rouge pouts. "I didn't even get to say goodbye."

"It's Shadow. Of course he's gonna take off the first chance he gets." Silver shrugs. Then he looks at his wife sitting next to him with some concern. "We might as well go and take a walk or something." Since breakfast, Blaze has been queasy, every now and then making a face of discomfort.

"Fresh air does sound nice." Blaze answers as she wearily rests her head on his chest. Silver nods and rubs her shoulder soothingly.

"We could go and play with the other kids!" Charmy jumps up and addresses Tails.

"It has been a while since I've seen Cream." The young fox admits with a blush. I smile softly and chuckle. Poor thing, he simply said her name and he's already blushing.

"Wait, that's Vanilla's daughter!" Vector suddenly sits up from his slouched-sitting position to an upright one, his attention clearly grabbed.

"Yeah...?" Tails looks at him curiously.

"Well, I, uh, she's a friend and, uh, I figured I'd go with you, keep an eye on you guys and maybe say say hi." The crocodile quickly explains, failing to act casual. Espio rolls his eyes and sighs heavily.

"I shall go with you as well. Someone needs to keep an actual eye on you kids." Espio looks pointedly at Vector, the later shooting the chameleon a dirty look.

"Well I hope you all enjoy your lazy, carefree day," Manic says sarcastically as he stands up and retrieves his coat. "while the rest of us do actual work to keep a living."

"I offered you a place on my ship." Sonic shrugs nonchalantly, his eyes closed now and looking very comfortable. Couch-hog.

"You know I get seasick." Manic narrows his eyes at his brother.

"Yup. So quit complainin'." Sonic smirks as he hears Manic stomp out of the house.

"I wasn't kidding, Mom. You're a saint." Sonia says as she shakes her head, she and Aleena also getting up.

"What makes you think you're not just as bad?" Sonic cracks one of his eyes lids open and glares at Sonia.

"Alright, off we go!" Aleena pushes her daughter out the door before the two siblings can start arguing. "See you all later this evening!" Aleena calls out as she and Sonia leave to go to work as well. The others get up after that and leave, off to do whatever they want, leaving just Sonic and me.

"... and then there was two." Sonic says.

"Y-yep." I nervously smile, even though he can't see it, with his eyes still closed and all. His face looks peaceful now, but after last night, I know looks can be deceiving. Sonic has inner demons that he alone deals with, only a selected few knowing about them.

Even though I already asked him, I'm still not entirely sure why he chose to tell me. We are not as close as he and Knuckles are and he wasn't that big of a jerk to me to make him tell me out of guilt. Whatever the real reason is, so many things now make sense: why he was so rude at first, why his ship is named _The Acorn_, why he actually started this crew six years ago, and why Sonia dislikes that chipmunk couple so.

After seeing Sally's picture and hearing Sonic's story, I quickly recognized the older couple from yesterday to be Lord and Lady Acorn. There are physical traits they clearly shared with Sally, like her father's dark brown fur and her mother's auburn hair. I don't dare mention seeing them to Sonic, however. It was hard enough having to hear and watch him talk last night. I don't want to add to it. Apparently, neither does Sonia.

"Hey." I snap out of my thoughts once I see his hand wave in front of my face. "Did ya hear me?"

"No, sorry. I got lost in thought there." I focus back on him.

"Obviously." He snorts. "I asked what we should go do."

"'We'?" I look at him quizzically. He wants to do something... with me? The thought makes my heart pick up speed. Ever since last night, I can't help but to feel different around him. Nervous, maybe? I had misjudged him, just like I had misjudged his crew earlier. I never thought he'd have the saddest story out of them all. Now I'm giving him an actual chance; a blank slate from all negative judgement and get to know the real him. Should be simple, right? So why do I feel so... nervous?

"Well jeez, look at me like I've grown two heads or something. Yeah,_ 'we_'! Everyone else is gone and I'm boooored!" He throws his head back as he groans. I scowl at him, my heart returning to its normal pace. Of course... he's bored. There's no one else left, so he might as well do something with me.

"Why are you asking me what we should do?" I cross my arms and glare at the floor. "I'm not the one bored."

"Oh? Well, in that case..." Suddenly I'm in his arms and zooming out of his mother's house one second, and the next second I'm in an alleyway, the traffic of city people seen in front of me at the end of the alley. "Let's go sightseein' today." Once I've regained my bearings and my breath, I slowly turn my head to glare at his smirking face, well aware of the mess on my head that used to be my quills.

"Seriously? You could've at least given me a warning." I growl, placing my quills back into their usual style. He rolls his eyes.

"Oh quit it. You look just as pretty as you did five seconds ago." He suddenly tenses and a light red hue forms on his cheeks while my face is full on flaming. He thinks I'm pretty? "I-I, I mean, uh, here." Not looking at me, he hands me my cloak, his face still tinted a soft red. "Better safe than sorry." He puts his own on. He grabbed these in the couple seconds it took to get here?

"What about laying low?" I ask as I slip on my cloak.

"We'll be fiiiiine." He dismisses as he walks towards the end of the alley. Shaking my head in disbelief, I follow him into the river of people.

"Stay close to me." He warns me over the loud noises. I nod in understanding and scoot closer to him as he expertly navigates his way through the sea of people. Why is it so busy today? It's four times more busy now than it was yesterday.

"Looks like we're just in time for the start of Market Week." Sonic muses out loud, answering my unvoiced question. I recall what Amara told me about Market Week years ago: a week-long event that happens twice a year where markets are filled with not only their usual goods, but other valuables from far away places.

"I've never seen Market Week before." I say softly as I take notice of the vendors and all their products. Amara was right, there are way more things here. It's amazing how much this place has changed in a day.

"What?!" Sonic abruptly stops and whirls around, causing me to walk straight into his chest. "You've never been to Market Week before?" He asks with disbelief, disregarding the fact I just smashed my face on his hard chest.

"No. My parents never felt it was necessary since they can get anything they want at anytime." I answer, rubbing my sore nose.

"Huh." Sonic shakes his head. "Well, Miss Amelia, allow me to escort you around the market." Sonic mimics a servant and bows, offering me his hand. I scowl at him for calling me Amelia, but I take his hand anyways, my curiosity getting the best of me. He straightens up and pulls me along, his hand lacing with mine.

I don't know how much time passes, but everything that I've seen so far is making my head spin. Sure I have a lot of this stuff back home, but the difference between these objects and mine is the ones here have heart and soul poured into them. Just from one look you can tell someone took their time to make and perfect it to their satisfaction. Everything here is art: made to reflect its creator's creativity and made to have uniqueness that one either understands or doesn't. My things don't have that. It's all symmetrical and "flawless".

"Hey, look at that those." Sonic nudges me and I look in the direction he gestures, catching sight of a set elegant chairs, flowers with vines skillfully carved into chairs' dark wood. We've discovered I'm a fan of wood carvings. The fact that they're made by hand and can be so detailed just blows my mind.

"Oooo, I really like those." I say with admiration. A glint from a cart next to the vendor with the chairs catches my attention. Curious, I go over to the cart and see it contains jewelry. A lot of jewelry.

"Hello young lady!" A older brown dog smiles welcomingly at me. "See anything you like? Everything here has a great price." He gestures to all the glittering accessories around him.

"Oh, uh, no thanks." I smile sheepishly. "I'm just looking."

"Well, if you find anything, just holler 'Walton!' and I'll be here." He winks at me before going back to trying to attract other potential customers over to him. What a nice man.

I scan over all the jewelry, knowing if I look at every single one then I would be there for at least an hour, when suddenly one necklace captures my gaze. I gently pick it up and take a closer look at it. It's a gold-chained necklace with a bird in flight. The bird is also made of gold and it has its full form, lines engraved into it and giving it the look of feathers. It's wings are pointed straight up, giving it the ability to lay flat either way you put on the necklace. Then there are two small sapphires in place of its eyes. All in all, the bird is simple and is about an inch tall and wide. However, I've never seen anything more beautiful: the detail of the lines, how realistic the bird looks, the intensity of its blue-gem eyes, everything.

"That's pretty." I jump at the voice coming from right behind my shoulder, and I turn to see Sonic eyeing the necklace in my hands. I look back at the it.

"Yes it is. It's absolutely lovely." I sigh and I gently place it back in the spot I retrieved it from. I turn to walk away and continue sightseeing, when Sonic grabs my arm, keeping me in place, and addresses Walton.

"Excuse me, but how much do you want for the gold bird necklace there?" Sonic points at the necklace I just put down. I look at him with wide, surprised eyes.

"Ah, I see you found something." Walton comes over to us and smiles knowingly at me, while I barely manage to smile back, not sure if Sonic is seriously going to buy it or not. "For that necklace, it's 80 rings, but because you look like a nice couple, I'll sell it to you for 65."

"Deal." Sonic digs into his pocket and pulls out a handful of the golden currency. He hands over the 65 rings and Walton hands him the necklace in exchange.

"Thank you." Sonic politely smiles.

"No, thank you." Walton smiles warmly. "You two have a good day now, you hear?" We nod and wave goodbye as we leave.

"You didn't have to buy that, you know." I say with a light blush, still surprised Sonic actually bought the necklace. For me.

"I know." Sonic shrugs nonchalantly and keeps looking forward, his face composed and unrevealing. Damn it, why can't I figure him out?! "Hang on." He grabs my arm again and pulls me off to the side of the bustling crowd. He pulls the necklace from his hand and unravels it. The blue hedgehog unclasps the piece of jewelry and motions for me to turn around. Blushing again, I comply and move both my quills and cloak hood out of the way.

"So, is everyone as nice as Walton here?" I ask, trying to avoid an awkward silence and out of actual curiosity, impressed by the genuinely friendly stranger I just met.

"Most of them." His breath hits the back of my neck as he answers, both his breath and the brush of his fingers as he latches on the necklace is enough to send a slight shiver through my body. Maybe I should figure ME out before I can figure him out...

"There." I turn around to face him, fingering my new necklace around my neck.

"Thank you." I say softly, giving him a warm smile as I pull my hood back on.

"You're welcome, Ames." Hearing that name, seeing his warm smile, and looking into his hypnotizing emerald eyes makes my heart feel like it's skipping a beat. "Come on." He takes my hand once again, snapping me out of my trance, and leads me back into the crowd. "We still have some places to go."

"O-okay." I meekly reply. What the hell is wrong with me?! Where are all these emotions coming from? They weren't here yesterday! Flashes from the past week suddenly pop into my head: the first time I saw Sonic, both the times we danced, all those times he comforted me...

...or maybe they were there. I'm not... falling for him, am I?

No! I've only known him for about a week now, and half the time I hated him!

But that's the about the same time I knew Scourge when he proposed, and I didn't quite feel what I'm feeling now.

So? I'm just seeing a new side of Sonic; one I'd be glad to have as a FRIEND. Besides, he wouldn't even consider me as courting material. Not after what he went through...

...

...

I hate conflicting thoughts.

"Amy!"

"What?" I focus back on reality and see Sonic watching me with an arched eyebrow.

"You sure are out of it today."

"I, uh, lack of sleep?" I lamely say as an excuse. If he found out what's distracting me so, I'd be mortified. The last thing I need is a cocky cobalt blue hedgehog knowing I might harbor feelings for him. _Might_.

"Uh huh, even though your last training session was yesterday morning?" I shrug and he shakes his head. "Anyways, I asked you if you are hungry." He points behind him with his thumb. Is it lunch time already? I look around him and see a bar-looking cafe, the outside covered in dirt and cobwebs and the windows barely transparent with all the grime on them. "The inside looks way better than the outside. Their food is also really good." Sonic smirks, sensing my reluctance. I feel a pang of hunger, my stomach notifying me it is indeed lunch time.

"Alright." I sigh. "But if I get sick, I'm blaming you." I glare threateningly at him.

"You won't." He rolls his eyes and walks towards the entrance. The blue hedgehog lowers his hood and turns towards me. "Milady." He bows and holds the door open for me. An idea forms in my head, almost making me crack a smile.

"Thanks," I lower my own hood as I walk past him. I make sure to get really close to his face as I do so and to have my eyes half open, something I'm told usually looks sexy if done right. "_Sir Sonic_." I say in a sultry voice and with a slight purr. To my delight, Sonic's ears flatten, his quills slightly stand up, and his face turns red. I continue to walk past him, grinning in triumph once he can no longer see my face. Take that, you hedgehog! I can make you blush too!

Once I enter the cafe, I feel surprised. Sonic was right; the inside appearance is many times better than the outside. Placed throughout the room are wooden tables and chairs, a bar located to the far left, and towards the back is a large open space, where there are three pocket billiards tables. It's fairly busy in here, but no where near as busy as it is outside, which is really nice.

"Come on." Sonic storms by, his ears still lowered from my little prank, making me grin all over again.

"Awwww, Sonic," I tease as I take my seat next to him at the bar. "what's the matter?" I grin slyly. He shoots me a glare. Then he suddenly leans forward, catching me off guard.

"Don't forget I still owe you for making me cook last night." He grins mischievously, making my own ears flatten. I just added fuel to the fire.

Satisfied by my reaction, he leans back. "Hey, Barkeep!" The bartender turns and I feel my eyes widen. "Heeey! Manic!" Sonic's grin widens once he recognizes his brother while Manic groans and reluctantly comes over to us.

"Hello, Sonic." He sighs. "Hey, Amy." He nods towards me in acknowledgement.

"So, this is where you work? What happened to your managing job at the hotel?" Sonic asks, amusement in his eyes. Manic gets a sheepish grin.

"I finally got caught stealing from one of the customers. It was just some small stuff, though. Like her wedding ring." The green hedgehog shrugs indifferently.

"Hmm, and now you have the luxury of taking my order. You should feel honored." Sonic smirks.

"Yes, but you don't see how your food is made in the kitchen." Manic leans forward with a smug look on his face, a threatening tone hidden in his otherwise cheery voice. Sonic's smirk drops and he also leans forward, an inch now in between the brothers' noses as they stare each other down.

"You wouldn't dare." Sonic threatens lowly.

"Try me." Manic replies in the same tone.

"So, Manic, what do you suggest I try for lunch?" I ask, trying to stop the brawl that I am sure is seconds away.

"Well," The green hedgehog reluctantly turns his attention over to me. "we have some homemade chicken soup that's pretty popular. I've tried it and, not gonna lie, it is pretty tasty."

"Oooo, well I will have some of that, please." I smile, the soup sounding delicious right now. Manic nods and arches an eyebrow at Sonic.

"I'm guessing the usual?"

"Yup."

"Alright, your food will be here in a little while." He turns and goes towards the kitchen doors to deliver our orders.

"Leave my chili dogs alone!" Sonic yells after Manic. Manic just waves him off and disappears into the kitchen, leaving his blue brother glaring suspiciously after him.

"Chili dogs?" I scrunch up my face in both confusion and suspicion.

"Yeah, this is one of the best places to go get them." He stares dreamily off into the distance for a couple seconds before snapping out of it and looking at me. "Wait," He says after observing my expression. "do you even know what a chili dog is?"

I shake my head. "I've never-"

"No! Don't say it!" He plugs his ears, a look of disbelief on his face. "Chili dogs are the best things in the world! How are you even alive right now?!"

"Hey, hey! What's all this hubbub?" Manic asks as he comes back from the kitchen.

"Sonic's freaking out over the fact I don't know what a chili dog is." I answer. Manic rolls his eyes.

"You're not missing much. It's just a hot dog covered with chili."

"_'Just'_?" Sonic looks at his brother in disapproval and shakes his head. "What is this world coming to?"

"Its senses." Manic answers before taking off to serve another costumer. Sonic glares after him before turning back to me.

"You're going to try one." He states, his voice leaving no room for disagreement. I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Okay..." We sit there for a couple minutes before Sonic begins to impatiently tap his foot.

"Sure is taking a while." He grumbles.

"It's only been, like, three minutes!" I exclaim.

"Only three? Aghh." He groans and rests his head on his hands. "They're still takin' forever." He pouts. I giggle at his reaction and look around for something he can do. I notice one of the pocket billiards tables is open.

I stand up and grab Sonic's wrist. "Come on." I pull him up and drag him over to the table.

"What are we doing?" He asks.

"What do you think? We're going to play pocket billiards. Unless you want to stay sitting and wait for the food?"

"What the hell is 'pocket billiards'?" He scrunches up his face in confusion.

"Uh, this?" I rest my hand on the felt table once we reach it.

"That? That's a pool table." Now it's my turn to scrunch up my face in confusion.

"_'Pool table'_? Why do you call it that?"

"I dunno, but everybody calls it that. That's like askin' why you call it pocket billiards." He shrugs.

"Because it's the proper name. It consists of the billiard-"

"I said it was like asking it. I didn't actually ask you." Sonic interrupts me and goes to grab a cue stick, ignoring my glare for his rudeness. "Well, if you know the 'proper name', then you must know how to play pool." He tosses me a cue stick. Luckily I was paying attention and I caught it. It would've hit my face if I wasn't.

"Yes. I know how to play 'pool'." What a weird name. It's a green table, a billiards table to be exact, and for some reason people call it pool. Well, at least it is easier than saying pocket billiards.

"_8 Ball_ work for you?" He asks me. I nod. It's a simple-enough game. Sonic grabs the rack and he sets up the fifteen object balls. "Good. Now I can focus on winning and not teaching you."

I snort. "As if." My father has a billiards table and I've played it many times. I wouldn't say I'm great, but I've definitely learned a trick or two.

Sonic takes the opening break shot and manages to score the 1 and 4 balls. He smiles smugly at me and I keep my face neutral. I take my aim, exhale, and shoot. The cue ball bounces off the 10 ball, causing the object ball to go into a corner pocket, and then it strikes the 12 ball, making it go into a side pocket.

I grin at the impressed blue hedgehog. "Game on." He grins back and takes his stance for his next shot.

We stay evenly matched until each of us has only one ball left and the 8 ball. It's Sonic turn, and it's not an easy one. The cue ball is a centimeter away from falling into a corner pocket and in front of it is my last ball. If my ball wasn't in the way, Sonic would have a clear shot to his last ball and the 8 ball, which is right behind Sonic's ball and also a centimeter away from a side pocket.

"You might as well call it quits." I smile triumphantly. "There's no way you can hit your ball without hitting mine."

"Pfft. Nonbeliever." Sonic dismisses my comment and focuses on the green table.

"No, I just know a loss when I see one." There's no way he can win.

"You think so?" He keeps his gaze locked on the game table, the gears in his head turning. I'm so confident that I don't think about I say next.

"Absolutely. If you somehow make this shot, which you won't, I'll kiss you." My confident grin drops once my words register in my mind and I freeze. Did I just say that?! Sonic also has a look of complete surprise, making my face burn. "B-but I won't have too, since it won't happen." I regain my composure. I hope to dear God I don't have to...

Also shaking off his surprise, Sonic takes his stance. "Well, let's see if that's true." Sonic aims, and delivers a powerful shot. The cue ball zips by my ball and goes towards the far side. It's traveling fast, but instead of falling off the table like I expected, it bounces off the rail and goes to the other side. It repeats the process of bouncing and traveling to the other side five more times, getting closer to his ball and the eight ball with each bounce, until finally, on the sixth bounce, with just enough momentum, the cue ball, that _damn_ cue ball, hits Sonic's ball, sending both both it and the 8 ball into the side pocket and ending the game.

"Damn! Now that's what I call a shot!" Sonic grins in victory. He slowly makes his way over to my side while I remain motionless, still in utter disbelief of how the hell he made that shot. "Now, remind me, who said I wouldn't make it?" He's rubbing his victory in, and I know where he'll take things next.

Wanting to get it over with and not giving him the satisfaction of making me severely uncomfortable, I face the still-smirking male and grab his shirt collar. I yank him down to my height and I press my lips against his unsuspecting ones. I planned on making it quick and simple, but I did not plan on how good his lips would feel. After a few seconds of our lips touching, a fire lights up within me and I find myself involuntarily moving closer to him, kissing him harder. To make matters worse, Sonic starts kissing me back. He wraps an arm around my waist and buries his hand in my quills, pulling me even closer. I respond by releasing my grip on his shirt and wrapping my arms around his neck. My mind clears of everything except for him: his intoxicating smell, his burning touch, his soft but strong lips, and the melodious sound of a soft moan he releases.

It's after his tongue touches my lips, asking for entrance, that I come back to my senses. Gasping, I break the kiss and rip myself out of his arms, panting as I replenish my air supply, which I didn't even notice I was in need of. We stand there, staring at each other with wide, surprised faces and panting, not sure what we're supposed to do.

I break the silence. "G-good shot. Y-you obviously win." Light-headed, I walk past him and go back towards the bar. That kiss was supposed to be plain and simple! Hell, I've kissed Scourge before and it barely had any passion! I thought it was something you were supposed to grow into, something that comes with time, yet, as I kissed Sonic, I've never felt so alive, so _right_. I literally forgot about everything and could only focus on him. Feelings I've never felt nor never knew I had came alive and consumed me. However, there's no way he felt the same thing. Not after what happened to Sally. Just from the way he talked about her last night, it's obvious he still loves her. He just automatically responded to the kiss, nothing more. After all, a guy will be a guy...

As I take my seat back at the bar, refusing to look and see if Sonic followed me, there is one crystal-clear, scary fact in my mind, no matter what I try telling myself:

I am, indeed, falling for Sonic the Hedgehog.

**Finally! Now things are gonna get interesting! xD**

**I actually had to do research for this chapter! Who knew a pool table's proper name is pocket billiards? I didn't! (If you know why they call it pool, feel free to share it)**

**Happy early Thanksgiving, and Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**arianahewitt****, ****Sara lovelymusic****, ****Guest****, ****Inspired Girl****,**** Roaming Traveler****, ****Guest****,**** SoraRose7****, thanks for the reviews! Seriously you guys, they mean so much to me!**

**I own Amara and this story. Sega or Archie own the other characters. **

**Chapter 14**

**Sonic's P.O.V.**

I stand there, too stunned to move, as Amy walks by. What the hell had just happened? I was bragging about my victory one moment, and the next thing I know she's in my arms and we're kissing! Honestly, I was going to let her slide on that one. I could tell she wasn't thinking when she made that bet and that she wouldn't of made it in the first place if she seriously didn't believe in my failure. Hell, I even thought I would miss, but for my pride, I had to try anyways. Now look where it got me: confused as hell!

I'm not confused as to why she did it- she's an honest person and was just keeping her word. What's confusing me so is how we reacted. I was completely caught off guard when she started to kiss me. I was even more confused after I responded by kissing her back, having no control over what I did or thought. I haven't lost control or felt like that since... well, since Sally. She was the only one who could disorient me with her kisses, even after her death when I tried to be rid of my grief and be with other women, I just couldn't get past kissing them. Everything about being with them was meaningless to me, and it made me even more miserable. I decided to accept the single life, figuring I'd never find another woman who'd capture me like Sally did.

But does Amy's kiss prove otherwise?

"Hey, bro! Come and get your damn chili dogs!" I hear Manic call from the bar. Where Amy is. Releasing a weary sigh, I take back control of my limbs and go to the bar. As I take my seat, I dare a glance at the female hedgehog, and I see a troubled look on her face. I wonder what's going on in her head right now...

We sit there, eating our lunches, in complete, agonizing silence. I HATE awkward silences like these, but what am I supposed to say? Does she even want to talk about it?

I know I don't.

Wait, yes I do.

No... DAMN IT! I hate this! To know the answer, I'll have to figure out what the hell I feel for Amy, but I don't want to do that! I'll have to recall what I felt when I was with Sally to see if I feel that way for Amy. I... I can't do that. Not only because of the pain that I always receive for remembering, but also because of fear. What if... what if I do feel that way for Amy? Will I be betraying Sally if I do? Am I ready for another relationship, for the risk of my heart getting broken again?

Damn it all to hell! I have to really focus on not growling out loud. I don't want to draw attention to myself nor give Amy the wrong idea. All I have in my head are questions. No answers.

To save myself from this goddamn headache I now have, I decide to keep quite about the kiss and act like it never happened. If she wants to talk about it, then she can let me know. Besides, as far as I know, she might be humiliated or even disgusted from kissing me. Yeah, that's probably the case. Just because we're on better terms now doesn't mean she sees me as a potential spouse. If only she had waited a couple seconds longer! I would've told her to forget about it!

Alright, alright. I'm done thinking about it. Breath in... Breath out... No more thoughts about this. Store it all away... There we go. I can feel my head again!

"Here." I cut off a piece of one of my chili dogs with my fork and offer it to the silent female. She looks at my fork before hesitantly looking at me, her face full of confusion and reluctance. "I said you were going to try a chili dog, remember?" I say, forcing myself to smirk like I usually would. Normalcy is key when avoiding something.

"You want me to eat it off _your_ fork?" She warily eyes the food on the silverware.

"Relax, I haven't used it." I roll my eyes, and without thinking, I add, "If I did, I think it's already a bit late to worry about my germs." Her ears lower and she grimaces, a red blush forming on her face. I resist the urge to face-palm. Damn it. So much for not mentioning it...

I clear my throat. "Just try it." With a quick glance at me, she takes the fork from me and eats the bite of chili dog. "Well?" She chews for a few moments and swallows.

"It's good." She admits with a nod, then she smirks. "I wouldn't say it's the best food in the world, however."

"Aww, Ames! You're killin' me!" I gasp dramatically while holding my chest. She blushes and chuckles, making me smile a little. She looks cute when she blushes...

"You know, if you get to have a nickname for me, I think it's only fair I have a nickname for you." She grins slyly as she takes another bite of her soup, snapping me out of my trance. I scrunch up my face.

"Why?"

"Why not?" She counters.

"Because it's a terrible idea." I reply without hesitation. "You've already helped come up with Faker!"

"Hush. I'm thinking." She then starts to talk lowly to herself. "Sonic... Son.. What's cute? Boo.. Coo... Oo.. Sonoo... Ks are unique..." I cringe from what I'm hearing. 'Coo'? 'Ks'?!

"I've got it!" She yells out, not only making me jump but also attracting attention from the people near us. "Sonikku." She states proudly.

"_Sonikku_?" I grimace. "Where'd you get that from?"

"A wonderful thing called imagination." She grins. "_Sonikku_... It has a nice ring to it. Don't you think so too, Sonikku?"

"Hell no." I answer flatly. She giggles. First Faker, now this?! I'd rather deal with Faker instead of Sonikku!

"Aw." She fake pouts, then grins darkly. "All the more reason to love it."

I turn towards her to argue with her, when out of the corner of my eye I see two men walk in. From the red, yellow, and black colors on their uniforms, it's not hard to figure out who they are: soldiers of Robotnia.

"Pull your hood up!" I hiss at Amy and put on my own. She makes a not-so-subtle glance at the two soldiers as she does so, but I don't stop her. It would be suspicious not to since everyone else is also doing it.

The two soldiers walk over to the bar and take their seats. Of course, they choose the two empty seats to my right. I'm just lucky like that.

"What can I get you guys?" Manic asks them, making sure he keeps their attention off of me long enough for me to leave without suspicion. Leaving right after they got here would give them all the reason they need in order to investigate me, therefore discovering me. The soldier next to me is a younger tan bat and his comrade next to him is an older red fox.

"A shot of the strongest thing you've got." The bat slaps some rings on the counter. Manic nods and goes to make the drink.

"You know you have a shift after this, Jason." The older fox looks at his companion in disapproval.

"Yup." Jason simply says, and he downs his shot once Manic sets the clear liquid down in front of him.

"Keep it comin'." Jason orders. The fox shakes his head and asks Manic for just a beer.

As he waits for his drink, Jason looks around, his gaze finally resting on me. I keep my head turned enough so he can't see my face, but I can still see him in my peripheral vision. The tan bat continues to sit there, staring at me, and I start to get uneasy. Does he recognize me? If he does, I'm ready for him.

Suddenly, Amy says, "Leonard, we better get back to the kids before they drive the poor babysitter insane!" She stands and grabs my arm, making me stand up also. I shoot her a bewildered look before I realize what she's doing.

I let her drag me out of the building, but not without hearing the older fox say, "Why were you staring at him like that, Jason?"

"Him? Nah. I was checkin' out that fine-ass wife of his!"

"Oh. Too bad she's married with kids, huh?" The fox says with a hint of disapproval in his voice.

"So?" Jason asks. By this time we are outside and I am unable to hear more. If Amy didn't have such a good grip on my arm, I would turn around, go back inside, and punch that perverted bastard's face.

"Do you think that Jason guy recognized you?" Amy asks me nervously, unaware of what the bat was actually doing.

I snort. "No."

"How do you know? He was staring at you for a while in there." She looks at me skeptically.

"Because he was staring at you, not me. I heard him before we left say he was _'checkin' you out'_." I say disgustedly. A look of surprise overcomes her face, but then her ears lower.

"Is that so unbelievable?" She asks, failing to hide the hurt in her voice.

"Oh no, no, no!" I exclaim. "I didn't mean it like that! I just hate guys who are like that! You- you're very beautiful! I-I mean pretty! No- ugh." I face-palm and sigh heavily. "I didn't mean it in an insulting way." I state, done with looking like an idiot.

"O-oh. My mistake." She smiles sheepishly, her face red and me rubbing the back of my head. I look around uncomfortably and watch people as they navigate through each other, going to wherever they need to go.

"I don't know about you," I eventually say and look back at her. "but quite frankly, I'm done with dealing with people right now." She arches an eyebrow at me.

"Meaning...?"

"Meaning we should go someplace not so populated. Someplace peaceful..." I rub my chin thoughtfully, making her roll her eyes. "Got it." I snap my fingers, knowing the perfect place. "Follow me." I then lead Amy into a dark alleyway nearby.

"Gee. No wonder why there's no one here." She says sarcastically. I roll my eyes.

"This isn't the place, Ames. This is to make sure people don't notice my blue streak when I take off." I explain. Without warning her, I scoop her up into my arms and speed off to the place in my memory. Although, she doesn't squeal in surprise like I had expected. Instead, she observes the passing world with an awed look, her short quills blown back from the wind and a peaceful smile on her red lips. I shake my head and turn my attention to what's in front of me; just in time to see a tree rapidly approaching.

"Whoa!" I take a sharp turn to the right and miss the massive tree.

"What was that?" Amy asks worriedly. I forget people who don't go as fast as I do, don't see what I see.

"A... tree. I wasn't paying as much attention as I should've." I admit. What else could I say? '_That green blur was just some wild animal'_, or _'I was too busy admiring you to pay attention_'? If she hadn't of kissed me earlier, I would've said that last one just to mess with her, truth or not, but she did, and it would've been very awkward if I did say it.

"Then how about you pay attention? I would still like to live you know!" She glares at me. I scoff.

"Please. At this speed? You would've at least gotten some broken bones, but not killed."

"How reassuring." She grumbles and unconsciously snuggles deeper into my chest. I smirk and speed up a little more, earning myself another glare from the female.

"Here we are." I stop and set Amy down. As she observes the area for the first time, I look around as well. It's almost the same as I remember: the glistening lake, the surrounding thick trees, the numerous wild flowers, but a little more plant life than I remember.

"It's beautiful." Amy gasps with admiration. "Wait a minute." She looks at me. "Is this the lake where you met Sally?" Huh, she remembered.

"Yeah. This is where I go when I want to relax." I say as I walk down towards the lake's edge and sit down on the wild grass.

"Well it certainly is the perfect place for that." She says as she takes a seat next to me.

After a few moments of listening to the breeze whispering through the tree branches, Amy asks, "Is it warm?"

"What?"

"The water. Is it warm?"

"Dunno. I haven't tested it in years, and as I've already told you, I don't like to swim." I lay on my back and lace my hands under my head.

"Why don't you like to swim?"

"Why do you need to know?" I narrow my eyes at her, starting to get irritated. Didn't I tell her this is my relaxing place?

"Well, I don't _need_ to. I was just curious." She grumbles as she draws her knees up to her chest and rests her chin on them. Finally. Being fairly sure she'll be quiet now, I close my eyes and listen the nature around me.

Then, "You're not afraid of swimming, are you?"

"Would you just drop it?!" I shout in exasperation. "You obviously missed the part where I said I like to relax here!" Unexpectedly, I hear her giggle. I snap open my eyes and glare at her. "What are you laughing at?"

"You sure do get riled up easily." She grins.

"No I don't." I sit up and cross my arms. "I'm the one that does the riling, not the other way around."

"Hmm, so what's this?" She pokes my crossed arms. I glance down at my arms and feel my ears twitch. I then gaze out at the lake, trying to figure out what I should do next.

"You know, maybe you're right." I smile innocently at the pink hedgehog. Surprise flashes across her face before her eyes narrow in suspicion.

"What are-" Using my speed, I scoop her up into my arms, go over to the lake's edge, and toss her into the water.

"Is it warm?" I grin as her head pops back up to the surface and she gasps for air.

"Sonic!" She growls. The soaked Amy stands up and she holds out her right hand. "That wasn't very nice." She smiles evilly. Before I can voice my confusion, that damn hammer of hers suddenly appears in her outstretched hand.

"Agh!" I dodge the red-and-yellow weapon as it flies by me, and I watch as it hits the ground and makes a crater. That could've been me. "Hey, just what are you- OOF!" As I turn to confront her, I am tackled by the hammer-wielder herself and am sent to the ground with her on top.

"Got you, Sonikku!" She giggles as she purposely clings onto me, the water from her soaked clothing now seeping into mine and her quills rapidly dripping water onto my neck and collarbone. Her body being pressed against mine and the icy drops are enough to make me shiver.

"Hey! Get off! You're all cold and wet!" I exclaim uneasily, trying to wiggle out of her grip, but even with the help of the water, I'm unable to be freed.

"Well now you know how the water feels, don't you?" She says as she lifts her head and glares pointedly at me with her jade eyes. Then she rests her head back on my chest, making sure her quills are still dripping onto my neck area. "You're not going anywhere until I'm warm again."

"Ugggh." I groan and try to make myself comfortable, knowing she's serious. I close my eyes and try to relax, at least until she releases me, then I can go lay in a tree or some place where she won't follow, and really relax.

However, it isn't long before I hear her soft, even breathing. I open my eyes and lift my head, managing to get a look at her face and confirming it.

She's asleep.

I test her grip, hoping maybe I can slip out of it without waking her. As soon as I move a centimeter, though, she starts to stir. I still and she settles back down, strengthening her grip on me, believe it or not.

"Damn." I mutter lowly to myself. Well, I guess I finally have the peace and quite I wanted. I watch her frame rise up and down, her eyelids lightly flutter, and her peaceful face as she rests. "Damn." I say again and with a heavy sigh, I rest my head back down and I close my eyes. What the hell did she do to me? I can't forget about that kiss; it seems like every other thought I have has something to do with it.

Too mentally tired to figure out my problems, I let my mind drift- from the simple sounds of the wind to the female sleeping on me- and I let sleep take over.

**XXXXX**

"_Sonic..._"

I scrunch up my face and roll over, wondering who the hell's trying to wake me up. If anything, they should grab me a blanket; it's chilly.

"Sonic, get up!" Now a little more awake, I recognize the female's voice. I still ignore her though. "Sonic, don't make me drag you into the water."

"With those noodle arms?" I ask, eyes still shut and still curled up comfortably on the ground. I feel Amy grab my ankle and the ground moving from underneath me as she drags me. "Okay, okay!" I jerk my leg from her grip and sit up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and stretching as I do so.

"About time. I called your name nearly twenty times, and shaking you did me no good either." Amy huffs and crosses her arms. I arch an eyebrow at her.

"Like you wake up easily?"

"How would you know? You haven't even tried waking me up normally." She arches her own eyebrow at me. I grin.

"True." I then notice the darkening orange sky. "Wait, how late is it?"

"That's why I woke you up!" She throws up her arms in exasperation. "It's nearly dinner time now."

"Really?" Damn, I practically slept the day away!

"Yeah, but you needed the rest. You actually look a lot better now." She says with a small, knowing smile, somehow guessing my thoughts.

"Hmm, you don't say?" I grin slyly at her. She forms a light blush, but not as much as I had hoped.

"Yeah, whatever. Can we get going now? I'm getting hungry."

"Alright, alright." I pick her up and speed back home, the run this time much more comfortable and short than last time. I guess choosing to keep quiet was the right choice. I set her down on the front steps of the house and I open the door, letting her enter first: can't let mom harp on me for not having manners.

After we enter, I see everybody else is back. Apparently we're just in time for something too, for Amara's weary face becomes one of hope.

"Oh look, Rouge, Sonic and Amy are back!" She points over at us, everybody else also looking at us, amusement on their faces.

"Ooo, Sonic! Amy!" Rouge squeals with delight and prances over to us, Amara breathes a sigh of relief and a couple chuckles sound as the white bat makes her way over to us. She immediately wraps Amy into a tight hug once she reaches us. "Oh, I feel like I haven't seen you guys in forever!" She sighs loudly.

"Um, hi to you too, Rouge." Amy manages to choke out.

"What's got you so chipper?" I ask, the happiness radiating off of Rouge almost tangible. Rouge's smile widens and she holds out her left hand, an engagement ring on her ring finger.

"Knuckles finally proposed!" She squeals.

"Oh Rouge! Congratulations!" Amy smiles enthusiastically and gives the bat another hug.

"It was so unexpected! Earlier we were walking along and-" Seeing Rouge is focused only on Amy, I discretely walk away, now seeing why Amara looked so relieved- she must've been the victim Rouge chose to talk with about how happy she was- and I take a seat with everybody else.

"Hey, here he is! What have you and Amy been up to, dear brother?" Sonia asks me with a smirk after I take my seat.

"Nothing much. We walked around, ate lunch, and took a nap." I shrug, purposely giving a vague answer just to mess with her.

"I can vouch for the lunch part." Manic says with a raised hand.

"And...?" She prompts, ignoring Manic and wanting more details from me.

"And we woke up and came here."

"Ugh, you're hopeless." She groans. I chuckle and turn my attention to a certain red echidna.

"So, I hear you're finally engaged. Congrats, Patches!"

"Thanks, Faker. Although, with how long she's been raving about it, you'd think we got married instead or something." He shakes his head at his fiancé's excitement.

"Well, it has been, what, three years?" I point out with a smirk.

"Whatever." He rolls his eyes. From the corner of my eye, I see my mom enter the room.

"Oh good, the both of you are back." My mom smiles at both me and Amy. "Just in time for dinner."

"Great, I'm starving!" My brother exclaims as he stand up and stretches. Just like the old days: busy all day, but dinner ready for us by the time we're back home. I glance at Amy, who's still talking to Rouge. Almost exactly like the old days...

**XXXXX**

"Ahh, that hit the spot." I sigh as Amy and I enter my room.

"Your mom is a very good cook." Amy nods in agreement, and she grabs her nightgown. "I can't even push my belly out anymore!" She laughs as she tries to poof out her belly and fails.

"Geez, fatty." I tease. On the contrary, her stomach is barely sticking out.

"Careful, Sonikku." She wags her index finger at me, her right hand outstretched again. I put up my hands in surrender and she giggles. "Good boy." She smirks and leaves the room to change.

As I watch her leave, I slowly start walking backwards to my bed. My foot suddenly catches on my overnight bag and if not for all my years of experienced footing, I would've fallen. Hard.

"Yeesh, this place is a mess." I say to myself as I look around: clothing, bags, and even some bedding strewn about the floor. This place would be dangerous without any moonlight. Hmm... actually, I'm not sure that throwing Amy in the lake quite makes us even. After all, she did get me wet too...

I quickly go to the window and shut the curtains, even draping some extra blankets over them to make sure not a shred of light comes through. With the room now pitch-black, I slowly make my way to my bed, using a path I cleared for myself earlier when I still had moonlight.

Just after I climb under the covers, I hear the door open. "Sonic?" I hear Amy softly call.

"Still here." I answer, unable to stop the grin on my face. At least she can't see it.

"Geez, it sure is dark." She grumbles, and I hear her soft footsteps. "Why is it so- ACK!" With a loud rustling, Amy comes crashing down on top of me. I start laughing. She got farther than I thought she would.

"Now we're even." I chuckle.

"Oh, and tossing me into the lake wasn't enough?" She asks with her breath hitting my face, suddenly making me very aware of how close her face is to mine, how her body is on mine once again, how _alone_ we are in this dark room.

"Sonic?" And her voice, her sweet, melodious voice! My left arm snakes around her waist, pulling her even closer, and my right hand cups her cheek, slowly making it's way to the back of her head. I want, no,_ need_ to feel those soft lips of hers again.

"Sonic, w-what are-" I silence her by pulling her head down and crashing my lips against hers, sighing from how soft her lips are. She stays unresponsive from shock at first, but then she starts kissing me back and entwines her hands in my quills. I roll over, pinning her under me, and I brush my tongue against her lip, to which she immediately opens and lets me deepen the kiss. Oh how I've missed this: the passion, the warmth, the desire... _everything_.

I break the kiss for air and I go to her neck, kissing and nibbling it, making her softly moan. I shiver. Oh yes, I've definitely missed this. I let my hands slowly feel her soft, voluptuous curves. As they travel closer to her chest, she stops them with her own hands, breathing heavily. I abruptly lift my head from her neck and remove my hands from her body.

"I'm so sorry! I-I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to come onto you that strong." I sigh shakily, not quite ready lift myself off her warm body.

"N-no, no! That's actually not what's wrong." She says nervously. I stay still, waiting for her to explain. "I... like you, Sonic." She slowly admits, and I can't help but to feel my heart pick up its pace. "But," I then brace myself, waiting for her rejection. "I'm not Sally." She whispers, sorrow in her voice. After her words register in my head, I smile warmly and rest my forehead against hers.

"I know. You're Amelia Rose." I then softly kiss her and, with her consent, resume what I was doing earlier. No more denying, no more hiding, and, now understanding what Shadow said that night, no more listening to my head. Amy means more to me than I thought possible, and right now, I need only her.

**Hope you all enjoyed this, 'cause this chapter put up a hell of a fight against me! Also, sorry if you were hoping for a lemon, but I don't write those, and if you weren't, then I hope it wasn't too heated for you!**

**Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Whew! It took some work, but I finished this in time for Christmas! Yay! This is my gift to all of you. Enjoy!**

**Sunset Rose 22****, ****SoraRose7****,**** sad Little demon****, ****Inspired Girl****, ****AmegakureAngel****, ****Roaming Traveler****, ****SconnieSA****, thanks for the reviews!**

**I own Amara and this story. Sega or Archie own the other characters. **

**Chapter 15**

**Amy's P.O.V. **

I awaken to the feeling of soft kissing on my shoulder.

"Amy, it's time to wake up." Sonic says softy into my ear.

"Mmmggg." I groan and slowly roll over. Holy hell, not only am I really tired, but I'm also very sore. I can already tell this is going to be a swell day. I open my eyes and see both a pair of emerald eyes and the golden morning rays of the rising sun.

"Mornin'." The blue hedgehog smiles, his face six inches away from mine.

"Morning." I greet back in surprise. No yelling? No tickling? "I told you I would wake up just fine if you woke me up normally." I smirk. He chuckles.

"I see that." He lifts his hand to move a couple quills out of my face and tucks them behind my ear. As he does so, I suddenly notice how drafty it is under these covers. Then I finally realize it's because I have no clothing on _whatsoever_. Memories from last night immediately come slamming back into my head, damn near making me see spots from how fast they come. Last night really happened... I really gave myself to Sonic. How the hell did I forget that? No, who can forget that even with all the clues I had to remind me earlier: my soreness, my exhaustion, and, the main one, my lack of clothing. God, sometimes I wonder about myself...

With my memory fully restored now, I focus back on Sonic and I blush as I recall the more detailed memories. Do I regret it? I don't see a reason why I should, but I am sure as hell surprised_. 'I know. You're Amelia Rose.' _Never in my whole life has my full name sounded as wonderful as when he said that. I can't help but to still feel some doubt, however. Was I a fool and let myself get caught up in the moment and be used?

"Hey, what's the matter, Ames?" Sonic asks after seeing my face, resting his hand on my bare waist. _Damn_, just a simple touch like that makes my skin tingle!

"Sonic," I ignore his touch and nervously meet his eyes. "what does_ this,_" I gesture between the two of us, the blanket the only thing covering our bodies. "mean for us?" His brows scrunch up in confusion at first, then falls with understanding.

"Well," He starts. "I think _this_," He mimics the gesture I did. "means I'm willing to give us a shot if you're willing to."

I smile wide, my uneasiness melting away from his words. He wants to give us a shot. "I would love to." His shoulders loosen in relief and he also smiles.

"Then count me in as well." He pulls me towards him and I happily meet his lips for a soft kiss. "-'cause last night was _great_." He smirks after we part.

I blush and slap his chest. "Sonic!" He laughs and rests his forehead against mine.

"We better get ready now. We have a big day ahead of us." He sighs.

"Oh... Scourge..." I forgot all about him! "Sonic, what if he senses something is wrong? What if I blow our cover?" Now that I'm with Sonic, I'm not sure if I can act like I still hate him, especially since my lying is so-so in the first place.

"It'll be okay." He soothes, rubbing his hand up and down my side. "Just act like you did when we first met and things'll be just fine." He smirks, attempting to ease my nerves.

"I'm worried." I whisper. Anything can go wrong, and if they do, I will lose Sonic.

"I promise, Ames, everything will be turn out just fine." He kisses my forehead. "Now," He sits up. "hurry up and get dressed. There's no locks on my door." That's enough to send me flying out of bed and get dressed. How embarrassing would that be if someone came in and we were still undressed. Especially if it was Aleena.

"Here." I turn and see Sonic handing me the white and black dress I wore my first day on_ The Acorn_, still dirty from all the chores I did. "We need to give the impression that this has been no joyride for you." He explains.

"'Impression'? You mean it has been a joy ride?" I playfully arch an eyebrow.

He rolls his eyes. "Just get ready." I lightly chuckle and put the dirty dress on. Yeesh, it smells too. Sonic grins at my scrunched-up face. "Yeah, you're not a very smelly person, so I did a few things to change that."

I look at him with wide eyes. "What?" His grin widens.

"See ya downstairs." He then zips out the door.

"Sonic!" I chase after him. I don't think he was expecting me to chase him, for I catch up to him and jump on his back as he's descending the stairs, nearly sending the both of us tumbling down the wooden stairs.

"Damnit, Amy!" He catches himself by running faster down the stairs than he is falling forward, making it so he's straightened up by the time we're at the bottom of the stairs. "That could've ended really badly you know." He tries to scold me, but I just glare at him.

"Then tell me what the hell you did to my dress!"

"_Ahem_." Both our heads turn to see Knuckles, Rouge, Manic, Shadow, Amara, Vector, and Espio all seated in the living room and watching us.

"Morning." Vector grins at us.

"Morning." I quickly hop off of Sonic's back with a small blush. Sonic just nods his greeting, his face composed.

"I dunno, Knux." Manic says thoughtfully as he eyes the both of us. "They don't look too tired."

"What are you talking about?" I ask, not liking the way he's looking at us. I glance at Amara for a clue, but she keeps a straight face, watching Sonic closely.

"Well neither do I." Knuckles replies, ignoring my question. "However, you weren't the one who walked past their room last night." He then grins widely at us, his purple eye gleaming with amusement. Sonic tenses, and I look up to see his face completely red. Then I finally understand.

"Oh _god_." I groan and bury my burning face in my hands, causing laughter to erupt.

"Oh my god, it's true!" Manic breathes as he laughs.

"Told ya!" Knuckles boasts, his laughter the loudest.

"God damn you guys." I hear Sonic huff. I dare to lift my face out of my hands and see Sonic's arms crossed, his ears still lowered in embarrassment, and his face still a tint of red.

"I just wanted a glass of water." Knuckles says with his hands up, still laughing. "Totally worth it to see you as red as me though!" At this Sonic can't help but to crack a smile.

"Alright, fine. You got me." He then wraps an arm around my shoulders. I look at him incredulously.

"What?" He asks, seeing my disbelief. "At least we don't have to figure out when to tell them about us now."

"Oh god." I repeat and rub my temple with my eyes closed. This was definitely not what I had in mind when we would tell them of our relationship. My reaction causes even more laughter. I open my eyes once I hear approaching footsteps, and I see Amara.

"Sonic, may I speak with you out back?" There's a smile on her face, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

"Uh, sure." He shoots me a questioning glance before following her out to the back yard. I look at the others and see them also puzzled, including Shadow.

"I'm going to go and help..." I start to make an excuse, but then I give up. "You know what? Never mind. You guys already know what I'm up to." With that, I hurry to catch up with Amara and Sonic. I sneak past Aleena as she prepares breakfast, not wanting her to give me away, and position myself right next to the doorway leading outback, out of sight from the magenta and blue hedgehogs and close enough to hear what they're saying.

"Alright, Sonic," I hear Amara say. "listen up, 'cause I'm only going to say this once: hurt Amy in any way, and I will end you." The seriousness in her voice is enough to make me take a peak around the corner of the doorway and see what her face looks like: void of all emotion. "I mean it. Even if this is years from now and I have my own children, I will put everything on hold and make Shadow stay behind with the kids as I track you down." I've never seen Amara this threatening before. She must've picked up a thing or two from Shadow. Either way, she's scary as hell right now.

"Jeez, already thinking about having kids with Shadow, huh?" Sonic jokes, trying to lighten the mood. Amara remains impassive, however, not even a faint flush of color crossing her face. She continues.

"The only exception I'll make is if you're completely honest and break up with her in the nicest way possible. Then I'll let you live. I like you Sonic, I do, but she is my best friend and I'll be damned if anything bad happens to her and I do nothing." Tears start to form in my eyes as I watch my best friend fearlessly threaten a male twice her size, all for my sake. I don't know where I'd be in life without her.

"Don't worry, Amara. I will never hurt Amy." Sonic says solemnly, not a trace of joking or amusement in his face now.

"I hope so, 'cause like I said, I like you. It'd be a shame to have to kill a guy I once liked." She then cracks a smile, yet it somehow adds to her threatening vibes. Sonic rubs the back of his head.

"Yeah..." He says nervously. Her smile slightly widens.

"Well, you've been warned. You can come out now Amy!" She then looks directly at me in my hiding spot, Sonic sporting a look of surprise as he notices me.

"How did you know?" I ask as I step out of the doorway and walk over to them.

"It's all this damn training Shadow is making me do! He said by the time he's through with me, I'll be able to know when an ant enters a room. The sad thing? I don't think he was exaggerating." She grimaces.

"Of course I was not. I do not exaggerate." We all jump and turn to see Shadow step around the corner of the house. "You still have a ways to go before you achieve that, however."

"S-Shadow! H-How long were you there?" Amara asks the black hedgehog nervously.

"As long as Amy was, which proves my point." He answers

Amara forms the reddest blush I've ever seen her have, and she crosses her arms. "What is this? Is there no such thing as privacy now?!"

"Well, not if you expect us to have children some day..." Shadow crosses his own arms, but with a smirk. I take it back. Now Amara is the reddest I've ever seen her, making both Sonic and I laugh.

"Alright, alright," Sonic breathes once he's through laughing. "As much as I'd love to keep seeing how red Amara can get," At this she glares at him. "we've got a schedule to keep."

"Faker is right. We are already pushing it." Shadow says as he observes the brightening morning sky.

"Well then let's go get everybody ready. We can get breakfast to go." Sonic then leads the way back into the house. I follow last, my stomach now in knots. Please let this work out...

**XXXXX**

"Okay, Shadow. Remember: three stomps." Sonic clarifies to the black hedgehog.

"I know, Faker. I got it the last three times." Shadow huffs in annoyance.

"Better safe than sorry." Sonic shrugs. Shadow rolls his eyes and disappears through a trap door in the ground, leading into the hidden tunnel Manic described to us.

"How does Amara put up with him?" Sonic says lowly once Shadow's out of sight.

Before I can reply, Shadow's voice echoes from below, "How does Amy put up with _you_?" I giggle at Sonic's scowl.

"Just get going!" Sonic then shuts the trap door and places dirt back over it, concealing it.

"Okay. Ya ready, Ames?" Sonic looks at me once he's finished.

"Sure." I nod once, my uneasiness increasing now that it's getting closer and closer to noon.

"Things'll be alright." He says comfortingly. "We just need to go into Mighty's, get the money, escape back to the others, rush back to the ship, and then we're outta here!"

"Right..." It'll be just that easy too... _Not_.

"You'll see." With that said, Sonic takes me by the arm and leads me to the next block, where Mighty's Tavern is located. Inside is fairly busy, and it is also looks pretty well-kept for being a bar.

Upon our entrance, the barkeep looks up from wiping the counters down with a rag, and he grins.

"Hey, Leonard!" The red armadillo walks out from behind the counter and heads towards us.

"Mighty! Long time no see, pal!" Sonic greets the armadillo as they hug in greeting.

"No kidding! First things first, though, I need you to follow me; I've got your room reserved." Mighty then takes us to the back and guides us through a door on the left, into a large room with a playing table right in the middle.

"Sorry for being so straight forward, but people nowadays are more likely to recognize and turn you in, Sonic." Mighty explains after he shuts the door.

"No worries, Mighty." Sonic dismisses as he lowers his cloak hood. Mighty then turns his attention to me as I also lower mine.

"Is this the girl that this is all about?"

"Yeah. My girl." He drapes his arm over my shoulders as he says that, making me blush. "Mighty, meet Amelia Rose. Amy, this is Mighty, one of my childhood friends."

"So you've finally found one, huh? I'm really glad to hear that." Mighty smiles teasingly, but also with relief. He must know about Sally too. He then turns to me.

"A pleasure to meet you." Mighty smiles as he shakes my hand.

"Lovely to meet you too." I smile back.

"So," He looks back at Sonic. "what else do you need? Name it and I'll make it happen."

Sonic shakes his head. "Mighty, you've already done more than enough for me. Thank you, my friend."

"Anything for you, bud." Mighty smiles. "So, this Prince Scourge: tall, green fur, and blue eyes?"

"More of an ice blue." I pipe in. Mighty nods.

"Alright. I'll send him back here as soon as I spot him."

"Thanks again, Mighty." Sonic and Mighty shake hands, and with a smile, Mighty leaves the room.

"Come on, Ames. We better get ready." The blue speedster takes the seat at the playing table that has full view of the door and pulls the seat on his left out for me.

After I sit, Sonic says warningly, "This is just for show, okay?"

"Wha-" I freeze as Sonic pulls out a large blade from inside his cloak and he directs the sharp point to my right side. I look at him with wide eyes and see his solemn face.

"Just for show." He repeats, holding my gaze. I take a deep breath and nod, slowing my heartbeat. At least I won't have to pretend being frightened of the knife. Sonic nuzzles the side of my face and says softly, "You'll do just fine. Everything will be okay." He takes my slightly-trembling hand and gives it a comforting squeeze. I squeeze back.

"Thanks, Sonikku." I crack a smile as he sighs heavily but smiles in amusement.

Suddenly he straightens, his ears straight up, and he throws a quick glance at me. "Get ready." I focus only on my fear, hoping that I look convincing enough for Scourge to think I fear and hate Sonic, and I listen to the approaching footsteps. The knob turns and the door opens. In comes Scourge- not dressed in his royal attire, but still dressed well enough to signify his wealth- with a large sac on his back. His ice blue eyes immediately fall on me. I suppress the urge to shudder and give him a weak smile. How the hell did I not notice how similar Sonic and Scourge's looks are? They nearly have the same build and the same facial features, the difference being Scourge looks a little more ruthless than Sonic, especially now knowing what I know.

"Hello, Your Majesty." Sonic grins at Scourge, the cocky and rude hedgehog I first met now back.

"Captain Sonic." The green hedgehog addresses him coldly with narrowed eyes. His voice is also a little deeper than Sonic's.

"Say hi, Amy." Sonic says mockingly and he presses the knife into my side hard enough for Scourge to see the flashing blade making an indent in my dress. I gasp for mostly show but also in some surprise.

"H-hello, Scourge." Ugh, what a horrible taste in my mouth. Scourge clenches his jaw and his eyes flash as he watches Sonic and the blade.

"Please, take a seat." Sonic gestures to a seat across from him with his free hand. Scourge silently walks over and drops the bag down with a loud thud, the clinking of coins heard as it hits the ground, and he sits. "The ransom, I take it?" Sonic gestures towards the bag.

"No, I like collecting silverware." Scourge sneers as he crosses his arms. Sonic just grins.

"I'd like to see it. You know, make sure I'm not being duped." With a glare, Scourge bends down and lifts the bag onto the table. He opens and tilts it to show Sonic the shining golden rings inside.

"Satisfied?" He asks.

"Quite." Sonic smirks and stomps his foot three times. A wooden trap door suddenly emerges from the floor behind Scourge and a blur of black snatches the large bag of rings. Sonic wraps his arm around my waist and yanks me up into his arms immediately after the door opens and takes off into the tunnel after Shadow grabs the rings.

"Guards!" I hear Scourge's enraged voice echo as Sonic and Shadow zoom through the tunnel. It is a few seconds later until we all exit the tunnel and into the afternoon sun when Sonic and Shadow really pick up their speed and race back to where the others and the carriage are waiting.

"Go, go, go!" Sonic orders after the three of us load into the carriage. With a nod, Espio snaps the reins and the horses take off. Tails, Charmy, and Amara are in the carriage with us while everybody else follows on horses.

Once we're out of Foviad's borders, Sonic leans back into his seat with a sigh and grins.

"Whoo! Talk about a rush, huh?"

"We are not safe yet, Faker." Shadow states. Sonic rolls his eyes.

"Lighten up, Shads! If they can't catch up to us now, then I think it's safe to say they won't." Shadow stays silent and watches the scenery go by. An arm wraps around my shoulders, startling me.

"Can ya breath now, Ames?"

"More than I could in Foviad." I answer and lean my head on Sonic's shoulder.

"Good." He kisses my temple and I smile. I'm still worried, but now that the hardest part is over, I'm not as worried as I was before. I watch the outside world pass by as the others converse, wanting to be alone with my thoughts and stay in Sonic's arms. There's one, prominent thought in my head:

I'm almost free.

**XXXXX**

"Alright everybody!" I jerk awake from Sonic's loud voice as he hollers out the window to the others on horseback. "Once we stop, waste no time and get the ship ready as fast as possible!" Did I fall asleep? In a daze, I look around, trying to figure out where we are, and sure enough, I see the buildings of Dascoun around us.

"Oh good! You're awake." I turn back towards Sonic.

"This sure was a quick trip." I say as I rub the sleep from my eyes.

"Naps'll do that." He smiles and wraps his arm around my waist. He leans his forehead against mine and softly says, "Almost there." I can't help but to smile, the excitement growing in me.

The carriage stops and Sonic straightens. "Let's get movin' people!" Move we do, for in the next minute we're already running through the forest we went through two days ago and heading back to the bay where_ The Acorn_ is.

"There's my baby!" Sonic smiles once his ship comes into view. I'd laugh, but I'm running out of air from all this running.

We all board the ship and the crew go to do their duties, when all hell breaks loose. Every single door on deck suddenly opens and soldiers come spewing out, the red and yellow colors of Robotnia and the blue and white colors of Pallertha seen as the mass of soldiers surround us.

"Hey! Let go!" I turn to look behind me and see everyone is being restrained by a soldier, Sonic fighting the hardest. "I said _let. Go!_" Sonic tosses the soldier holding him over his shoulder. He glances at me, making sure I'm okay, when an arm holding a knife suddenly appears and presses the blade against his throat.

"Don't. Move." Luna hisses to Sonic. His ears lower and his eyes flash, but he stays stationary. Then I hear the gallop of hooves and I turn to see the soldiers part as Scourge boards the ship, still on his horse, and he grins triumphantly at Sonic.

"Hello again, Captain Sonic." Scourge pants from chasing us. Sonic glares at him, keeping silent. "What? No witty comeback? No smug grin?" Scourge says mockingly. Still, Sonic remains silent. Scourge chuckles and steps off his horse.

"You don't even want to know how we caught you?" He taunts.

"Simple. Your men hid and waited for us." Sonic finally says.

"Not that simple. You see, we had to find the ship first, which, by the way, was very well hidden. I didn't think you were dumb enough to visit your home, but to be sure, I assigned a soldier to keep an eye on your mother's house. Good thing I did, huh?" Scourge pokes Sonic's shoulder, trying to provoke him, but Sonic ignores him.

"After confirming you had indeed come to Dascoun, we searched every place for you to hide your ship, eventually finding this lovely little bay. I also figured you'd pull a stunt like that back at the tavern, so I set up this little trap." He then leans forwards, getting right in Sonic's face.

"That's what you get for messing with me." Scourge growls. He then straightens and turns his attention over to me. He smiles.

"Hello, love." He opens his arms invitingly, and I hesitate for a second, my thoughts running a thousand miles in that one second. Do I run to Sonic and go down with him, or do I keep up the charade and maybe have a chance to save Sonic?

Easy choice.

"Oh Scourge!" I half sob and hurl myself into his arms. "I was s-so scared!" I cry into his chest. No time for nerves. Sonic's life is on the line, so there's no way in hell I will screw this up.

"It's alright now. I'm here." He soothes and strokes my head.

"You." I lift my head and see Scourge glaring at the captive Sonic. "This is the last time you will make me and my kingdom look like fools!" He unsheathes his sword and goes to walk over to the blue male.

"Wait!" I grab Scourge's arm and stop him.

"Amy?" He arches his eyebrow in confusion at me. I quickly wrack my brain for a lie.

"As much as it pains me, I owe Captain Sonic my life." I say. "He and his crew were attacked by another pirate named Rengash earlier this week, and Rengash would have killed me if not for him." I scrunch up my face in disgust as I gesture to Sonic. Scourge eyes him thoughtfully, and as he does so, I add, "I do not want the thought of owing him weighing down on me in the future when I could just repay it now."

"Hmm..." Scourge watches Sonic for a few seconds more, Sonic looking back fearlessly, before he nods. "Very well." He walks up to the blue captain.

"As repayment for my bride's life, I shall not kill you. Instead, I hand you over to King Robotnik and will let him punish you as he sees fit." Not exactly what I was hoping for, but at least he won't be dying today. If I know Sonic, he'll surely figure something out before it's too late.

He _has_ to.

Scourge then notices my magenta friend, who's also restrained. "Oh yes, you took Amara as well." He walks over to Amara, my stomach tightening in hatred as I remember her tears as she confessed to me what he did to her.

"Release her." He orders the soldier holding her. He obeys.

"I'm sure you are more than ready to return with me, no?" I hear Scourge ask, with the faintest hint of seduction and mockery in his voice. I would've missed it if I wasn't listening so intently. Apparently, Shadow heard it too, for he growls and struggles against his captor as he glowers at Scourge.

"No, I don't." She sneers and looks him straight in the eyes. "If my captain is going down, then I'm going down with him."

"You're willingly betraying your kingdom? Your _best friend_?" He asks.

"There are worse things." She spits out. I see him momentarily tense before he composes himself.

"Very well. As you wish. Come, Amy." He walks back over to me. "Let's get you back home." Scourge leads me over to his horse and hoists me up onto the saddle. As Scourge mounts the horse, I take one last look at Sonic, careful not to reveal any emotion. Sonic looks back with the same emotionless face, but as we lock eyes, I can easily feel his struggle to simply let me go.

"Fall back." Scourge orders his soldiers, and he kicks the horse. We ride off the ship, leaving everything I have come to love behind.

I was almost free.

**I hope you all enjoyed your present! xD Let me know your thoughts and review!**

**Merry Christmas, and happy New Year!**


	16. Chapter 16

**SoraRose7****, ****Whitefox01****, ****sad Little demon**, **AmegakureAngel****, ****Inspired Girl****, thanks for the reviews!**

**I own Amara and this story, Luna belongs to my sister, and Sega or Archie own the other characters. **

**Chapter 16**

**Sonic's P.O.V. **

I watch as Scourge rides off with Amy. _MY_ Amy. I growl and Luna, I think is her name, presses her blade harder against my throat.

"You got him?" I hear her ask a Robotnian soldier as her fellow Pallerthan soldiers follow their prince back home.

"Oh yeah." Now I feel the muzzle of a gun press against the back of my head as the female hedgehog retracts her blade from my throat. She shoots me a nasty glare as she sheathes her knife before she turns to walk away.

"Luna!" Amara calls out, making her sister halt. "Tell the family I love you all." Luna whips around, anger on her face.

"If you loved us, then you wouldn't be staying here!" She snarls.

"True, but I also wouldn't be staying here if I didn't love him." Amara gestures over to Shadow, sorrow but also determination in her voice. Luna glances at the red-striped hedgehog and back at her sister, her face contorting in pain. Her eyes well up with tears, but she abruptly turns around and walks off my ship, not looking back once, as her sister watches her leave sorrowfully. How I hate family drama; it literally makes life a living hell.

Once the Pallerthan soldiers leave, I reassess the situation. Damn it! We're still outnumbered! Maybe if I-

"Guh!" The gun muzzle leaves my head and I turn to see the soldier holding it falling to the ground- dead.

"What the hell?! Henry, go and-" An arrow buries itself in the leading officer's chest and kills him. As the soldiers recollect themselves and try to find the attacker, I take advantage of the moment and grab the fallen soldier's sword and gun. I prefer not to use guns, it makes me feel like I'm cheating, but I'm pretty much out of options at this point. I focus on the soldiers restraining my crew and I free my crew from their grips.

"You fools! They're trying to escape! Stop them!" I manage to free Silver before an onslaught of soldiers disregard the still-attacking foe and try to restrain us once again. The telekinesis wielder growls and uses his powers to snatch all the soldiers weapons away and put them all in a pile behind us, leaving me and my crew the only armed ones on the ship.

I look at him wide-eyed. "You could have done this the whole time?!"

"Well, not really. Only when I'm really emotional, and right now, I'm really pissed off." The silver hedgehog says with a scowl. "They shouldn't mess with a man's pregnant wife!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Blaze is pregnant?" I gape.

"It was supposed to be a _surprise_." Blaze glares pointedly at her husband, who shrugs sheepishly.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" Rouge and Amara yell joyfully to the married couple.

"Guys, now is not the time to get sidetracked." Knuckles grunts as he knocks out a soldier trying to escape. "Congrats, though." He adds.

"Yo, Bro!" I turn my head and see both Manic and Sonia boarding my ship, Manic armed with a rifle and a couple of pistols and Sonia armed with her bow and arrows.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" I ask in surprise.

"Sonia was paranoid and made me come here with her to make sure you all left safely. Good thing she did too, considering the situation you guys were just in a couple minutes ago." Manic smirks but also says with genuine relief.

"Well, thanks guys. I owe ya one." I smile appreciatively at my siblings. Then a thought occurs to me, making me pale. "Wait, what about Mom? They've been watching the house- that's how they found me!" Both hedgehogs' eyes widen in fear.

"She was fine when we left... an hour ago." Sonia weakly replies.

"Shadow, deal with our prisoners!" With that, I grab Manic and Sonia's arms and run as fast as I can back home. If they so much as touch one quill on her head...

"Mom?!" I holler after I burst through the door. The house remains quiet.

Manic runs upstairs. "Mom!"

"Oh no." Sonia gasps after Manic returns, receiving no reply. I growl.

"Those goddamned bastards!" I wrack my brain on what to do next, when I suddenly hear the back door open.

"Sonia? Manic? Is that you making all this ruckus?" Mom appears in the kitchen doorway with a curious look. "Sonic? Dear, what are you still doing here?"

"Mom!" Sonia cries joyfully and runs to give our mother a hug, while Manic and I take deep, calming breaths. Thank god.

"Why, what ever is the matter?" Mom asks with concern as Sonia tightly hugs her and sees our relieved faces.

"We thought they took you too!" Sonia cries into Mom's shoulder.

"'_They_'?" She asks, confused.

I explain what happened since we parted this morning, starting with my arrival in Foviad and finishing with our fear of Robotnian soldiers taking her for sheltering me and my crew

"Oh my! Poor Amelia." She looks at me sorrowfully. "What are you going to do, Sonic?" I sigh and look at the ground.

"I'm gonna get her back." I state after a few seconds of thought.

"But Sonic, the Prince of Pallertha is protecting her." Sonia gently points out. I shake my head.

"I don't care. I have to get her back." I won't be able to handle losing her too. My family looks at me both knowingly and sorrowfully.

"Well," Manic sighs and places a hand on my shoulder. "even though it'll be our small group against Scourge's royal army, I'm with ya."

"Thanks, Manic." I give him a small, appreciative smile.

"Sonic." I look at my mother's solemn face. "Are you really willing to do all of this for Amelia?"

"Yes." I reply without hesitation. "She's not Sally, but I- she's just as important to me." I stutter, nearly saying something else. My family smirks at me, and I repress the urge to glare at them and just ignore their looks.

Mom smiles softly. "That is all I needed to know. There is a way you can get her back, but I will need all three of you to take a seat first. I have some explaining to do." With curious looks, we obey and sit down on the living room couch. Mom sits on the chair to our left and clasps her hands together.

"What do you know about your father?" She asks us.

"That he died fighting in the war against Robotnik right after we were born?" Manic says, unsure where she's going with this.

"That part is true, but he was no mere soldier. No, your father was King Jules, King of Eonia." She watches us as it slowly sinks into our heads. Our father... was _King Jules_?

"You see, before I was with child, we were at war with Robotnik. I refused to leave your father's side, despite all his protests. It was my kingdom too, and I was willing to go down with my King if it came to that. Then I discovered I had life growing within me. In fear for your lives, and with no one other than us knowing about my pregnancy, I finally allowed your father to put me into hiding. He gave me enough money for me to buy a place, so I chose this house. It was not too far from the castle, and it is located in a crowded-enough place, making it harder to find me. Not a soul knew where I was other than Jules, and not one of my people recognized me dressed as a commoner."

Finally, it all clicks into place for me. My mom is _the_ missing Queen Aleena- the same Aleena we learned about in school, the beloved queen who vanished without a trace twenty-three years ago. How stupid do I feel! All my life I've noticed how graceful and regal my mom was when compared to others- the way she carried herself, the way she spoke, and the way she was always fair which makes it nearly impossible for any decent person to argue with her- yet it never once occurred to me that my mom was the missing Queen. I just thought they coincidentally had the same name. _Stupid._

She continues, snapping me out of my self-chastising. "Every single day I feared for your father, but I feared for your safety even more, giving me enough strength to refrain from going back to the castle and standing by my husband's side." Mom smiles sadly as she recalls the past, my siblings and I sitting motionless, totally enthralled, as we wait for her to continue.

"You three were born in this house. Fate favored us then, for it allowed your father the gift of being here for your births. We were so surprised to find out we had triplets instead of twins, like we were guessing." She chuckles. "That was the first and last time we saw your father, however. A week after you three were born, my beloved Jules went to confront Robotnik with one last, mighty battle and end the war. As you already know, he did not succeed." A tear escapes our mother's eye and she wipes it away with a sniffle.

"I had no choice but to stay in hiding and raise you three on my own, waiting for the day when you three would be ready to take back the throne. I considered telling you six years ago- all three of you were so mature and responsible for your ages- but then Sally died." Mom then locks eyes with me.

"You were in such a dark place, Sonic, that I would not dare add the responsibilities of ruling a kingdom to your shoulders, and I wanted all three of you to be ready, so I waited some more. As the years passed, I grew more anxious that you would be unable to heal, my son. Just when I was beginning to think you would never be as ready as I wanted you to, you met Amelia. Now, Sonic, to my complete and utter joy, you are happy again; your eyes sparkle with the same life they did six years ago, and your behavior has noticeably lightened." Mom's smile is full of so much joy and relief that I feel a pang of guilt. I wasn't the only one suffering these past six years.

"Now, my beloved children, you are finally ready to fight and claim what is rightfully yours, if you wish. Then you would have an army of your own to get Amelia back and have the power to return this kingdom to its former glory." Mom straightens up, the feeling of royal authority I've vaguely noticed before now surrounding her, and she meets each of our amazed gazes.

"So, Sonic, Manic, and Sonia, children of the late King Jules and of the missing Queen Aleena, what do you three choose to do?" We three exchange disbelieving looks and excited smiles amongst ourselves. Never could we have guess our true heritage, even with all the damn clues we had, but this is what we have been waiting for: a chance to save our fellow people, to right what has been wrong for so many years.

I'm the first to speak. "I say let's end this war once and for all!"

**XXXXX**

"Sonic, there's an awful lot of guards around here." Knuckles says to me as we crouch lowly on a rooftop, overlooking the festival.

"Well duh. Robotnik is personally here. I would have a lot of guards around too if I was hated as much as him." I reply. "I also don't think you're quite aware of just how many people are on our side too, Patches."

"Fine, fine. Whatever. I'm just saying." The red echidna huffs and crosses his arms. I chuckle and continue watching the festivities, waiting for Rouge to return.

It's been five days since Scourge took Amy from me. Luckily, I've been busy enough to not to exceedingly agonize over how much I miss her. Reaching all my friends and asking for their help sure does take a while, and that's including the Peacekeepers. It was worth it, though. All my friends and others I don't even know agreed to help me. Even Umdir came with the Master Emerald, claiming the Emerald wanted him to do so. Having both him and Knuckles on the same, crowded ship as we traveled back to Dascoun made for a really awkward trip, however.

Also, from what I've heard, there's two more days until Scourge and Amy's wedding. This is where luck takes my side. Today there is a festival in Dascoun, since it is Robotnia's capitol. It's providing me and my siblings the perfect opportunity to reclaim our kingdom, not only because the fat king is here in Dascoun himself, but what better time is there to conquer Eggman than during a festival meant to celebrate his conquering of another place? The only thing I can think of that would be better is the anniversary of the day he conquered Eonia, but I don't have that kind of time to wait. If I'm going to get Amy back, then this needs to happen and succeed _today._

Finally, Rouge drops down on the roof, finished flying around and evaluating our situation.

"What did you find out?" I ask the female bat.

"There are a lot of guards around, a lot more than I was guessing, and they're all positioned throughout the festival." She reports, some concern on her face.

"Ha. Told you so." Knuckles smirks at me.

"Any outside the festival?" I ignore the one-eyed echidna.

"Just a few. They're patrolling."

"Good. As long as I can get close enough to Egghead, we'll be fine." I stand and go to the edge of the roof.

"I sure hope so." Rouge says.

"We will. Alright, here I go. I'll see you guys down there." I wink and hop off the roof. I then dash over to the nearest bar. There I wait until I see some patrolling soldiers and, putting on my best drunken face and a couple dabs of alcohol on my neck, I stumble out of the bar, right into the two soldiers.

"Heeeeeey! Wus uuup guuuuuuyys! Wicked party goin' on taday, ehhh?" I slur and grin.

"Alright sir, I think you've had enough." Hey, I know that voice.

"Let the guy make a fool of himself, John. Why should we care?" I definitely know this voice too.

"Jason, he-"

"Fool? Ima fool?" I interrupt and make sure to get right in Jason's face, making him back up in disgust from the strong sent of alcohol and my breath. "I'll have you knoooww, I am the best pirate ever! Theee best! I could steeaal your wallets now if I want! No one beats Captain Sonic!" I fist pump the air and start to stumble away.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jason grabs my arm and pulls me back. For good measure, I act like it nearly makes me fall over. "You're a pirate named Sonic?"

"Thhheee one and ooonly!" I give him a toothy grin. The bat exchanges a look with the fox and then smirks at me.

"How about we help you get back home? We wouldn't want you to get into some _trouble_ now, would we?" I smile triumphantly on the inside. They took the bait.

"Weeeeellll, I dunnnooo. I kinda have ta watch out for yoooouu soldiers." I muse out loud.

"We'll help you watch out for us." Jason rolls his eyes.

"Weeell then, oookay!" Heh, I should become an actor or something. This is too easy.

"Come on, follow me." With a cruel smile, Jason leads the way while the fox named John takes up the rear, remaining silent. It's not hard to see he is not fond of his partner. I don't blame him. I still want to punch that bat's face. We come to the edge of the large crowd of celebrators and we stop.

"Wait here." Jason tells John and disappears into the hoard of people.

As I watch the bat leave, John walks up next to me and lowly says, "This is your only chance to escape if you can manage to clear your head for one moment and use it. Otherwise you won't be able to get out of this one, Sonic." I can't help but to look at the red fox in surprise. He's actually trying to help me? "I approve of your work" John explains, still talking discretely to me. "If not for you, my own family would have been on the streets long ago." Ah, I see. John is one of the soldiers who had no choice but to enlist as a soldier in order to take care of his family.

"I appreciate your concern, but do you really think I'm stupid enough to get that drunk in a public bar like that?" I keep my drunken face, but my voice is back to normal, catching John completely off guard. "As you now know, I have a plan, and this is part of it." By this time I see a group of soldiers making their way towards me, all armed and lead by Jason. I keep up the facade and stupidly wave at them.

"Tell the people you trust to be ready. Robotnik's rule is ending today." I inform John right before the soldiers descend on me and put me in handcuffs.

"Heeeeey!" I slur. "Not so tight, guys!" I sneak a glance at the red fox and see his awed face watching me as I let them lead me away.

The group of soldiers push their way through the crowd, making their way up to Robotnik, who is sitting on his throne before the Church of Dascoun's doorway. Apparently it was necessary for him to haul that huge-ass chair over here from his castle instead of settling for a different, but still extravagant, chair.

"My lord!" Jason kneels before Robotnik after we climb up the church's stairs. "I present to you the infamous Captain Sonic!" Robotnik abruptly stands, his usually beady little eyes wide with surprise as they see me and his bushy, orange mustache twitching. No matter how many times I see it, I can't help but to snicker at his comically egg-shaped body. It's literally like an egg with twiggy arms and legs!

"SILENCE!" He booms, all the surrounding festivities silencing within a minute. He then focuses on me.

"Well, well, well. I can't say it's a pleasure to finally meet you personally, but it certainly is a delight to finally have you at my mercy, Sonic the Hedgehog." He smirks evilly at me.

"Actually, I think it's the other way around." I grin slyly. In the next second, I rip myself out of the unsuspecting soldiers' grips, zoom up to the false king, and press my knife against Robotnik's throat.

"Come any closer and say goodbye to Egghead here!" I threaten the soldiers. They all stop, some looking conflicted.

"You idiots! You didn't disarm him?!" Robotnik chokes out at a pale Jason and at the soldiers that brought me in.

"Now, now, Eggman. It's not their faults you've provided poor military training." I say cheerfully.

"You insolent hedgehog! Release me this instant or I will make you sorry!" He growls.

"Oh I'll release you, Robotnik. I'll release you from unrightfully ruling this kingdom!" I then cup my free hand around my mouth and yell as loud as I can.

"NOW!" Abruptly, all of my followers move into action. They attack Robotnik's soldiers, disarming them and holding them as prisoners. As I hoped, word spread pretty quick about today's attack and we easily outnumber the soldiers. Within minutes all the soldiers are disarmed and restrained, and my followers keep a watchful eye out, looking for loyal Robotnians. I doubt they'll find much, however. Not nowadays.

"_Damn_, bro! You're quite popular apparently." Manic whistles as he and Sonia climb the church stairs to stand next to me.

"Who couldn't love this face?" I grin cockily, still keeping an iron grip on Robotnik.

"Don't start this, Sonic." Sonia rolls her eyes. I chuckle.

"Well, Manic, would ya do the honors?" I gesture with a nod of my head to the confused, murmuring crowd of Robotnians. Manic looks at them with wide eyes.

"Uh, s-sure. No problem." He clears his throat and takes a step forward.

"Think of Mom and Dad." Sonia whispers encouragingly to our brother.

"PEOPLE OF ROBOTNIA!" Manic's voice echoes through the area, silencing the people and grabbing their attention. This is why I chose him to speak. I may be loud, but he's got a hollering voice like no other. "Thank you." He nods once he has their attention. "Most of you know this kingdom was once known as Eonia, and that it used to be one of the most peaceful, successful kingdoms. Now look at us: poor, dirty, and ruled by corruption! Well, no more! People of Robotnia, we present to you a ruler you all thought was lost. We present to you, QUEEN ALEENA!"

Our mother, cloaked, seemingly materializes from within the sea of people and walks up the church stairs to stand beside us, and she lets her cloak fall, revealing her elegant white gown with a golden design running down the middle. On her head is a feminine, golden crown encrusted with rubies and diamonds. Gasps are heard and Robotnik struggles.

"Impossible!" He gasps out. Mom sends him a disgusted glare before turning her attention to the crowd.

"My beloved people, it is true! I still live! For the past twenty-three years I have lived amongst you here in Dascoun, disguised as one of you, but also suffering like you. Why did I vanish all those years ago? _They_ are why!" Mom gestures to Manic, Sonia, and me. "Meet my children, Manic, Sonia, and Sonic, children of King Jules and the true heirs to the throne!" Cue the gasps... There we go.

Sonia steps forward. "Our mother raised us alone and in fear of Robotnik finding us, but now we are revealing ourselves and are taking back what once belonged to our father! We have suffered what you all have suffered, and we are here to end it! What say you, people of Robotnia? Are you ready to become people of Eonia once more?" The cheers erupting from the crowd makes me cringe and worry about whether or not my eardrums might've burst. Sonia points at Robotnik.

"Robotnik, your reign is over! Guards!" John and a few more soldiers approach. I wink at John, who smiles back. "Take this man from my brother and restrain him. His punishment shall be decided soon enough." With a bow, they take the enraged man from me and put handcuffs on his wrists.

"What are you doing, you traitors! Release me!" Robotnik struggles.

"Silence! The only traitor here is you, Robotnik!" I snarl. "You should've known this day was coming."

Mom then steps forward once more. "Now, my people, it is time for you to choose who shall be your true ruler." She walks over to Manic and rests her hand on his shoulder. "Will you choose my son Manic, who would be a fair, clever King?" She then walks over to Sonia. "Will you choose my daughter Sonia, who would be a compassionate, peaceful Queen?" She finally walks over to me. "Or will you choose my son Sonic, who would be a brave, justifying King?"

An elderly mongoose approaches our mother, an old friend I'm guessing, and he is holding a velvet pillow with a larger golden crown resting on it, rubies and diamonds encrusted on it like Mom's. Mom lifts the crown and holds it over Manic's head. The crowd cheers, and she moves over to hover the crown over Sonia's head. The crowd cheers at nearly the same volume as they did for Manic, and Mom comes over to me. She hovers the crown over my head, and the crowd's response shocks me. They loudly cheer, three times the volume as they did for Manic and Sonia. I feel a weight press down upon my head as Mom lowers the crown.

"All hail King Sonic of Eonia!" She cries.

"All hail King Sonic!" The people echo and wildly cheer. Unbelievingly, I look around. _King_ Sonic? I look at my siblings and I see their bright smiles as they congratulate me, also some relief on their faces. Right, like I'm more equipped to rule. I'm a damn pirate for heaven's sake!

"You are a natural born leader, my son." Mom says into my ear as the people still cheer. "You take control during emergencies and take care of everyone before anything else. Even your siblings know this." Leave it to a mother to know when their child is feeling overwhelmed. "Now, go and address your people."

Taking a deep breath, I raise my hand and the crowd immediately silences. "As my first order of business, I herby commit Robotnik of murder, theft, and unjust ruling and sentence him to be imprisoned for life in the dungeon!"

"No!" Robotnik screams as he is dragged away, people jeering and throwing things at him. I raise my hand again and silence follows once more. This is going to be hard to get used to.

"I am honored to be chosen as your king, and I will respect your wishes by ruling as fairly as my father before me did. However, start treating me like some untouchable, frightening god, and we're going to have issues." Laughter sounds, and I continue. "Like my sister said, we were raised amongst you, and I only found out about my heritage five days ago. You will treat me as your equal and I you, and if your stubborn, then I'll allow you to treat me with respect." There's always those few people who refuse do anything but worship the ground you walk on.

"So you don't mind if we talk about your hot sister?" Some jokester in the crowd yells. I smirk.

"Only if you're willing to meet my brother and I." 'Ohh's and more laughter sounds as a more happy, comfortable atmosphere forms. My kingdom...

"Before I can devote myself to you, my people, there is one important favor I must ask of you..."

**I can't believe this snuck up on me like this, but I recently realized that there is only three more chapters after this! _*Tearfully* _I just hate endings... _*sniffles* _... but I hate unfinished stories even more. x**

**Alright peeps, if you guys help me reach 100 reviews, I PROMISE to update this no later than a week, maybe even sooner depending on how much reviews I recieve! **

**Anyways, what did ya think? Please review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Oh my gosh! Already 3 more reviews to go until 100?! I honestly wasn't expecting all this positive feedback! You have no idea how much they all mean to me! :,) Thank you ****AmegakureAngel****, ****SoraRose7****, ****Sonamy Fan****, ****FireWitch25****, ****Whitefox01****, ****SconnieSA****, ****Ella Belle The Writer****,**** Inspired Girl****, ****Sunset Rose 22****,**** NicClassic****, ****Roaming Traveler****, Sara lovelymusic, and shaggy4067**** for the reviews!**

**You all definitely deserve this early update! This isn't as long nor as exciting as the last chapter, in my opinion, but is still needed! I hope you all enjoy!**

**I own Amara and this story, Luna belongs to my sister, and Sega or Archie own the other characters.**

**Chapter 17**

**Amy's P.O.V.****  
**  
"Amy, wake up. We are back at your parents' house." I hear Scourge say as he gently shakes me.

"Mmmm?" I fake a groggy groan and stretch from my feigned nap. "Oh dear, did I fall asleep again?" I ask innocently. No, but I wanted to. Anything to not be left alone in an uncomfortable silence with him again. All day we've been traveling, and every time our conversations ended shortly after they started. Luckily, he's blaming it on _'my traumatic experience'_, giving me more time to readjust back into the world I was raised in.

"Yes, but it's alright. You need the rest after doing that bastard and his damned crew's dirty work." Scourge growls as he gets out of the carriage.

_'Oh yeah, life was total hell'_ I think to myself. I will admit, it is nice to be thoroughly clean again. I don't miss the 'proper' dresses, however. I'm roasting in this damn tent and my feet are already aching in these death traps called shoes!

I politely smile at Scourge as he helps me out of the carriage, and I take his arm as we walk down the familiar walkway to the front door, ignoring my repulsion as I do so. I was infatuated with him before I was kidnapped, so I can't raise suspicion by suddenly being cold towards him.

Scourge knocks on the door and the head servant answers it.

"Your Majesty, and- oh! Miss Rose! Thank heavens you are alright! Come, your parents shall be thrilled!" The elderly squirrel ushers us in and leaves to notify my parents of my return.

Nearly a minute later my mother and father come rushing down the stairs. "Amelia! Thank goodness you are alright!" My mother tearfully exclaims as she comes up to me and tightly hugs me.

"I'm alright, Mom." I smile as I hug her back. They may not be the best, but I still love my parents.

"Oh Amelia." My father sighs with relief as he joins the group hug.

"Hi, Dad." My smile widens and I'm unable to stop a few tears. Dad hugs always results in the daughter crying, no matter how hard we try not to.

"Thank you for getting our daughter back, Prince Scourge." My mother breaks the hug and thanks the green hedgehog.

"Of course, Duchess Rose." He nods. "Anything for my bride." He smiles at me. I repress the urge to roll my eyes. Sure, like he's some selfless, loving fiancé who's not a cold-hearted raper.

"Please, call me Catherine. Oh!" She suddenly exclaims. "That reminds me- when will the wedding be?" My ears twitch. Figures. I _just_ get home and already we're discussing the wedding.

"Is there something wrong with the original date?" Scourge arches an eyebrow in confusion.

"Forgive me, your majesty, but do you not think that it is too soon after what she has just gone through?" My mom asks with concern.

"The invitations are already sent out, and we have already ordered everything. Besides, the wedding is still six days away. That should be enough time to recuperate, right Amy?" Everyone then looks at me expectantly.

"Yes, I think it should be just enough time." I lie. I'll never be ready, so why wait? Sonic would've waited for as long as it took, the invitations and orders being already sent out or not.

"See? The wedding can continue as planned." Scourge says.

"Oh, well, alright then." Mom forces a smile. Don't ignore your motherly instincts, Mom...

"Why don't you go rest up, Amy?" Scourge suggests. "Tomorrow I'm taking you back with me to my castle."

"Oh, uh, okay. I'll just go pack and-"

"Amelia, we have servants to do that for you, remember?" My dad smiles at me like I'm some silly girl.

"Right... servants." I'm back to living the 'plush' life, back to not being independent anymore. "I-I'm heading to bed now. Goodnight." I manage to say and quickly retreat to my room. Once I close my door, I slowly climb under my covers and curl in on myself, not bothering to hold back my tears. Oh how I wish Sonic was here to wrap his arms around me, to tell me it'll be okay, to kiss me with those warm lips of his...

But he's not. I just wish I knew whether or not he and the others are okay! Did they manage to escape? If not, what does King Robotnik have planned for them? Not knowing is nearly killing me with worry, but at the same time, I'm not sure if I want to know. How I would react if I found out the love of my life and the closest friends I've ever had were killed? It definitely wouldn't be a healthy reaction, that much I know.

Even though I desperately long for Sonic to be here with me, I was the one who chose this path and I must live with it. It was worth it to save Sonic's life, though. Still, it doesn't mean I can't grieve for what could've been. Crying has always been a good emotional outlet for me. I just hate doing it in front of others.

I don't know how long I lay there as I cry, but eventually sleep takes over and sends me away to dream, a certain blue hedgehog and his rambunctious group of pirates being my last thoughts.

**XXXXX**

I crack open my eyes and see my bedroom illuminated by the rising sun's rays, a sight I rarely see in this room. I roll over and am made painfully aware of how empty my bed is.

"Damn you, Sonic! Not only am I lonely, but now I'm getting up at the crack of dawn because of you!" I grumble, then sadly sigh, knowing I'm just shouting to no one. I get up. If I lay there any longer, I just might start crying again. Despite my parents insistence of having the servants pack for me, I pack my own things. I don't have anything better to do anyways.

Just as I'm about finished packing, I hear my mother call through the door, "Amelia, sweetie, it is time to get up!"

"I'm already up!" I call back. My door opens and she peaks inside, surprise overtaking her face once she sees I'm telling the truth.

"Could you not sleep, dear?" She asks with concern.

"I've been forced to get up really early this past week." I explain. That, and also because I couldn't sleep decently last night, but she doesn't need to know that.

"Oh, I see." She looks at me pityingly. "Breakfast is waiting for you downstairs, and then you and Prince Scourge shall leave." Her eyes water and rushes to give me a hug. "Oh my little baby is growing up!"

"It's alright. Mom." I give her a hug back. She pulls back and wipes her tears away.

"Your father and I will miss you so much." She sniffles.

"Dad is still an adviser, so we can easily schedule visits." I say, trying to cheer her up.

"True. Oh, look at me! I am a mess and am stopping you from getting ready! I shall be on my way now." Before I can protest, she is out of the room and closing the door behind her. I sigh in disappointment. We always have nice conversations, but they're always cut far too short.

"Well, farewell room." I take one last look at the room I grew up in, remembering all the good memories I've had, mostly of sleepovers Amara and I have shared, and I shut the door. Knowing my parents, they'll send some servants up and finish what I haven't packed and put my stuff in the carriage before I even finish with my breakfast. I better get used to it, though. It'll be much worse once I'm at the castle.

**XXXXX**

"Lady Rose?" I turn and see my personal servant, Cosmo, at the doorway of my temporary and huge room. "A soldier by the name of Luna Vipsin is here to see you." The young, green seedrain announces.

"Thank you, Cosmo, and how many times do I have to tell you to call me Amy?" She bows her head, a red tint on her cheeks.

"My apologies, Miss Amy." Well, it's a start.

"It's alright. Send her in." Cosmo bows her head and leaves to retrieve the hedgehog. Scourge insisted on me having at least one personal servant for now, really leaving me with no say in the matter. I'm working on making Cosmo my friend instead of allowing her to treat me like some superior. It really makes me uncomfortable. Plus, from what I know about her now, she's a really nice girl.

"Lady Rose?" I snap out of my thoughts and see Luna entering my new room.

"Damn it, Luna! Not you too!" I groan. "You know my name, so use it!"

"Just following protocol." She smirks. I smile sadly, for she reminds me so much of her sister.

"What can I do for you, Luna?"

"I was just checking on how you're doing. You know, since my disgrace of a sister abandoned both you and my family." Luna spits out. My smile immediately drops.

"She did not."

"Yes she did! She chose to stay with some pirate she thinks she loves instead of coming back home!" Luna's eyes begin to water. I then realize she doesn't understand Amara's actions, and she is hurting.

"How do you know she doesn't really love him?" I ask calmly.

"It was only a week that she knew him, let alone the fact he was also responsible for her kidnapping! How could she love him?!"

"Luna, I think she, above all else, would know when she was just being used, especially after what happened to her." I gently remind her of what happened to her sister. Luna grimaces.

"You know? She said she didn't tell you so you wouldn't have more to worry about."

I nod. "She told me when I was still still captive." Luna lowers her head, and I continue. "She has every right to be cautious around men, so why do you think she would claim to love him if she really didn't?"

"I-I don't know. For all she knows, he could've been the one who raped her! It wasn't that long before you two were kidnapped and-"

"No, it wasn't him." I say firmly. Maybe a but too firm, for she looks at me with surprise.

"How do you know? Did she tell you? Does she actually know who did it?" She demands, her eyes aflame, the question of 'Who?' tearing her up. My ears flatten and I'm suddenly unsure of what to do next. Being Amara's sister, Luna has the right to know, but there will be disastrous consequences if she finds out the Prince she is protecting is the one responsible.

"It's not my place to say." I answer, regretting not being able to say more, especially now as I receive a hurt look from Luna.

"But," I add, trying to make her feel at least a little better. "she really does love him. You should've seen the way she lit up around him and how his affections towards her shocked everyone that knew him." I smile as I remember a bubbly, towel-wrapped Rouge as she squeals with happiness after discovering their relationship. "I'm glad she stayed. She's happy and safe with him." I state with a small smile. Luna looks up to see my sincere face. She heavily sighs and rubs her temple.

"I guess... I guess I can understand." She says lowly. Then she sheepishly looks up at me. "Sorry to suddenly unload on you like that. I come to ask you how you're doing, and here you are consoling me instead."

"It's no problem. You're like family." I warmly say. She brightens.

"Okay, let me try this again: how are you?"

"I'm alright." I say. Luna simply arches an eyebrow, giving me a look I'm all too familiar with. "Amara gives me that same look you know." I tease. She continues to look at me. "Alright, fine. Honestly, I'm nervous, tired, worried, and basically feeling every emotion right now." I grudgingly admit. Between Amara and her sister, I can't hide a damn thing!

"Because of the wedding?" She asks.

"Everything." Which is the truth, but not for the reasons she's thinking of.

"Don't stress. Everything will get better after the wedding passes." Luna tries comforting me.

"I hope so." I really do. At least, get as good as it can get, considering my situation.

"It will. Now, if you don't mind, I have to go do patrolling duty now."

"Of course. Feel free to visit me any time, Luna." I say. She smiles and waves as she leaves. Cosmo comes back in.

"Cosmo, if anyone needs me, I'm taking a walk around the castle." I say as I walk towards the door.

"Yes, Lady Rose." I stop and give her a look. "I-I mean, Miss Amy." She corrects, a sheepish smile on her face. I smile brightly and wink at her as I leave.

I've always imagined castles to be huge, but even with all my imagination I wasn't even close to how big they really are: doorways tripling my height, a never-ending maze of hallways, a limitless number of rooms, furniture four times as large and as extravagant compared to what we had back at my parents' house, and ceilings high enough to echo, no matter where you are. Also, Scourge's castle is out in the country, the city closest to it being the kingdom's capital city, as with most castles.

It has been three days since I've arrived here, and so far I only know where the dining room, the entrance, my room, and one of the doors leading out back are. I don't even know where Scourge's room is. I don't care to know that, though. I've already had to stop his advances on me and tell him to wait once we are married. I shudder from both memory and thought. At least my first time wasn't with Scourge. That honor, as well as my heart, will always belong to Sonic.

I dig out my golden necklace Sonic bought me from under my dress and gently stroke the bird. Oh, Sonikku... How much I miss you! The more time that passes, the more I yearn for him, yet, at the same time, the more I am able to hide my emotions. You win some you lose some, I guess. I still wish I knew whether or not if he and the others are okay...

My depressing thoughts are interrupted once I hear a pair of murmuring voices nearby. I follow them to a set of large wooden doors, one cracked open a sliver and allowing one a glimpse into the room on the other side. My curiosity getting the best of me, I near the opening and peek inside, vaguely recognizing the room. The... study, if I remember correctly. Yes, I'm fairly sure it's the study. Two figures suddenly come into sight, making me jump, and they go to an empty table with some scrolls.

"Yes, here we are: a current map of Robotnia." Scourge says as he unrolls a piece of parchment. He and someone else lean over it and observe the map.

"The fact that most of his soldiers are located in Dascoun adds some difficulty." The other male says. I take a closer look and see he is a black wolf with his hair and the tip of his tail colored teal.

"I will just focus most of the troops there then. As long as Dascoun and Robotnik's castle are overpowered, I'll be able to claim his land as mine." Scourge says greedily.

"How do you plan for us to do that, sire?" The wolf asks.

"By any means necessary. You and your men can burn the city to the ground for all I care." I suppress a gasp of horror as I think of Aleena and all those wonderful people perishing all for the sake of land. Even worse, Sonic might be held prisoner there!

"When do you plan for the attack to happen?"

"A week after my wedding. I have to look convincing and spend some quality time with the wife." Scourge smirks, making me shudder._ 'Look convincing'_?

"Surely you could not have thought of a better way to go about this?" The wolf ask uneasily. Go about what?

"Are you questioning me, _Peter_?" Scourge asks, a threatening glare on his face.

"No, your majesty. I was merely concerned about the consequences if one was to find out." Peter obediently bows his head. Find. Out. What?!

"Then don't question what I say and focus on what you need to do to make this successful! No one will find out, and that arrogant idiot is long past due to be removed from power anyways. He has a festival going on today just to celebrate his conquering of another chunk of land!" Scourge snorts, unimpressed. "Yet he let that pirate and his crew escape." My heart happily jumps. They managed to escape? "No matter. I'll be able to catch him again and finish off that pest." Scourge grins in dark anticipation. At least I know what happened to Sonic and the others, but now I need to worry about the people in Dascoun. How can I convince Scourge to at least spare the citizens?

Before something happens and I am discovered, like I've read in so many novels, I back away from the door and continue my walk. The wedding is in two days, leaving me nine days to figure out a solution to this war. I am not looking forward to what Scourge is planning for us in any way, but maybe I can use it to my advantage: seduce him or something. Although, I don't know the full plan he has. I'm obviously missing something...

"Oh Amelia, dear, there you are!" I jump and turn to see Penelope walking towards me. I relax and bow my head.

"Yes, your majesty?"

"Oh none that poppycock, Amelia. You are to be my daughter-in-law in two days. Call me Penelope." I smile.

"Very well, Penelope." I don't know about the Queen's true nature, but so far she has been very nice to me. Ha, I kind of feel like Cosmo right now.

She smiles. "Very good. Now, the seamstress has just arrived and I need you to come with me to get your dress refitted, just to make sure your mother got all the right measurements."

"Oh, alright." There's no need though. My mother is one of the top tailors in Pallertha. I'd be surprised if the seamstress found any flaw. I let the Queen lead the way.

"Oh these next two days are going to be hectic, but it will all be worth it once you and my son see how gorgeous your wedding will be!" Penelope gushes. I force a smile and try to listen as she continues to ramble on about all the wedding plans she has.

_'Hectic'_ doesn't even begin to cover it.

**XXXXX**

"Do you, Prince Scourge of Pallertha, take Amelia Rose as your lawfully wedded wife and as your Queen?" The priest asks the male besides me after reading aloud basically the whole bible. Okay, maybe not all of it, but long enough for me to zone out for most of it.

"I do." The Prince nods. Breath, Amy. This is for your people and for Sonic.

"And do you, Amelia Rose, take Prince Scourge as your lawfully wedded husband and as your king?" _For my people..._

"I do."_ ...for Sonic._

"Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Scourge faces me with a wide smile, while I force myself to smile back, nausea forming in the pit of my stomach. Scourge leans forward, lowering his eyelids, and I close my eyes. Think of Sonic, think of Sonic, think of Sonic...

We exchange a simple, passionless kiss and part. The invited guests in the castle's decorated ballroom clap and cheer. I will hand it to Penelope- this place looks amazing. I just wish I was marrying a different man.

A proud Marcus and a teary Penelope approaches us. "Kneel, my son." Marcus says. Scourge lowers himself down on one knee.

"I, King Marcus of Pallertha, am hereby retiring from the throne and am passing it on to my son, Scourge." Marcus removes the large, silver crown from his head, the glittering green emeralds encrusted into it reminding me of Sonic's mesmerizing eyes, and places it on Scourge's head.

"Rise, Scourge, the new King of Pallertha!" Marcus and Penelope bow to their son as Scourge stands, everyone, including me, following suit.

"And I, Queen Penelope of Pallertha, also resign my seat in power and pass my crown onto Scourge's wife, Amelia."

I then feel a weight press down upon my head as I am still bowing and hear Scourge say, "Arise, my queen." I straighten up and he takes my hand.

"Long live King Scourge and Queen Amelia!" The priest shouts.

"Long live King Scourge and Queen Amelia!" Everyone in the large room echoes and bows once more. Scourge leads me down the isle made in the middle of the ball room, Cosmo holding my dress train as I walk, and I wave goodbye to the guests, faking an excited smile once I make eye-contact with my parents. We walk through the large, wooden entrance doors and go outside to where the uninvited, poor people await us. They loudly cheer once we appear outside. I find it easier to smile and wave to them as Scourge leads me towards the carriage awaiting us. My people.

Just as Scourge opens the carriage door for me, a war horn suddenly blows in the distance, causing everyone to be silent. What's that about?

"Look!" Someone gasps and points to the hills. We all turn our heads and see a lone figure, clad in armor and riding a war horse, appear on the hilltop. It blows the horn once more, louder now.

"Who the hell is that?" Scourge scowls at the figure. I keep silent, not having any clue. Whoever it is, I am sure they are not here for friendly matters. The person rides down the hill, close enough to talk to and be heard by Scourge, and stops again.

"Stranger! Identify yourself and state your business!" Scourge orders the mystery person. The horse rider lifts their hands and removes their helmet, the face underneath making my heart stop.

"I am King Sonic of Eonia, son of King Jules and the rightful heir to the throne, and I am here to retrieve what is mine!"

**Bwahaha! Cliffhanger! Sorry, but I couldn't help myself xD Just wait until until next chapter! Bwahaha- ahem. Sorry. **

**On a side note, sorry if any of this seems rushed. I am trying to keep this good, but quite frankly my brain is fizzing out. So like I said, I apologize if any of this is rushed or not quite what you're hoping for.**

**Please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**New record! 17 reviews! :,D**

**Nebula the Hedgehog****, ****sonamylikeduh****, ****SconnieSA****, ****Ella Belle The Writer****, ****Whitefox01,****SoraRose7****, ****AmegakureAngel****, ****SonamyFan16****, ****Sunset Rose 22****, ****Roaming Traveler****,**** FireWitch25****, ****LunaHedgehog14****, ****shaggy4067****, ****Inspired Girl****, ****ShrimpOnAStick****, ****Sara lovelymusic, sad Little demon****, thanks for the reviews!**

**I own Amara and this story, Luna belongs to my sister LunaHedgehog14, and Sega or Archie own the other characters. **

**Chapter 18**

**Sonic's P.O.V. **

I notice Scourge's soldiers scurrying about, trying to be discrete as they arm themselves. Good. They're gonna need it.

"_'King'_? What happened to King Robotnik?" Scourge demands, surprise clear on his face.

"He took what wasn't his and mistreated it, so I simply took it back. Just like you." I shrug casually. I could get straight to the point, but I love messing with him like this. Especially since he taunted me first, after he ambushed us.

"What are you talking about?! I have nothing that is yours!" He growls at me.

"Au contraire, your majesty!" I smirk. "Just last week you stole from me what I was not willing to give up!" I then look pointedly at Amy, unable to keep an impassive facade as I gaze upon her sweet face. God, how I've missed that face! Scourge looks at the pink beauty besides him, and he steps protectively in front of her, blocking her from my view. I frown.

"You are too late! We are married, and, therefore, she is _mine_!" Scourge scowls. I look back at him and narrow my eyes.

"Then I guess I will have to fight you for her." Amy peaks at me from around the green hedgehog, her lips turned downwards with worry. Hmm, I've missed those soft lips too...

"Ha! You are not worth my time!" He dismissively says, snapping me out of my trance. I grin slyly at him and raise the war horn to my lips, releasing three short blasts. Soldiers and people recruited from all over Eonia, including my crew members- not the pregnant Blaze, much to her and Silver's relief- immediately appear on the hilltop and reveal their numbers, startling the Pallerthans.

"Am I worth it now?" I ask the stunned King as the Pallerthan soldiers jump into formation and more spew out of the castle. I'll let them group up before I attack. Seems only fair.

The green king snaps out of his stupor and scowls at me. "All of this, just for some woman?!" He asks me incredulously. I glare at him.

"Not for just some woman, but for _my_ woman. Also, I have a hunch that you're no better of a ruler than Robotnik was, if not worse." I point behind me to a particular soldier and beckon her towards me. She rides down to where I am, predictably accompanied by Shadow, and she removes her headwear.

"Hello, _your majesty_." Amara smirks humorlessly at Scourge. "As you can see, I tend to hold grudges. ESPECIALLY TOWARDS THE MAN WHO RAPED ME!" She shrieks with fury, her voice echoing off of the hills. You'd have to be deaf not to hear that. I nearly am, being next to her and all. Gasps sound from the citizens, and I notice one soldier in particular step out of line, Luna's face filled with horror as she watches her older sister glare hatefully at the King. _'At least she knows now'_ I think to myself as I turn my attention back to the green hedgehog.

A dark look crosses Scourge's face. "_LIES_!" He roars. "You are nothing but a jealous whore!" Suddenly, Scourge is sent flying back, narrowly missing the carriage meant to take he and Amy away to their... _honeymoon_, and he crashes to the ground.

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL HER THAT, YOU _MONSTER_!" Amy snarls, her giant hammer in her hands. Coughing, Scourge stands back up and angrily looks at her. I tense, ready to pummel him into nothing if he takes so much as one menacing step towards her.

"That's right!" She continues. "I know! However, I didn't have much choice but to pretend to be unaware once I realized you were going to kill my beloved Sonic and his crew!" At this I smirk, seeing Scourge's bewildered look.

"_'Beloved-'_" His eyes widen with realization. "The mystery pirate wielding the hammer!" He says as he eyes Amy's hammer. One of his soldiers from the _The Sea Breeze_ must have told him about an unidentifiable hammer user on my ship.

"You've betrayed me!" He seethes, a murderous flame in his eyes. I dare ya to make a move, you bastard.

"No, _you've_ betrayed _me_!" Amy angrily retorts. "How could you rape my best friend?! How?!" I climb off my horse.

"Amy, get over here!" I beckon, becoming uneasy from the dark vibes I'm sensing from Scourge all the way over here.

"Oh, I don't think so." Scourge chuckles evilly. He unsheathes his sword and lunges towards Amy. In a literal blink of an eye, I stand protectively in front of Amy with my own sword unsheathed and deflect his blow.

"Get out of here, Amy!" I hiss at her as I deflect another attack from Scourge, and I shove him away.

"CHARGE!" I command my army, hearing their battle cries and feeling the vibration of running feet and galloping hooves in response.

"ATTACK!" Scourge orders his soldiers as he points his sword at me. The citizens there either scream in terror and flee into the castle or they actually join the fight. To my surprise, I even see some of the Pallerthans join my side and fight against the Pallerthan soldiers, Luna being one of them.

At impulse I raise my sword and block what would've been a fatal blow from Scourge. I silently curse at myself for my lack of attention.

"You know, Sonic, I will admit you caught me at a bad time, yet, you also just made things a lot easier for me." Scourge grins as he avoids one of my hits.

"Yeah? How so?" I grunt as he kicks my side. He's been trained well.

"I was actually planning on going to war with Robotnia a week from today, but since you've beaten me to the punch and are here, I think I'll kill you instead and take over your land." He swipes at my side.

I snort as I twist out of his sword's reach. "Yeah, good luck with that."

"Don't you want to know what reason I was going to use for going to war?" He grins darkly at me.

"I don't know. Not if it's clichéd." I shrug and swing hard at his legs. He blocks it and takes a step back to steady himself from my powerful dint.

"I was going to frame Robotnia for the murder of my wife." I freeze and gape at the smirking hedgehog.

He was going to kill Amy...

"SONIC, LOOK OUT!"

I manage to block Scourge's swing just in time, but I hear another blade swishing through the air, heading right for me. I glimpse a flash of light grey and hear a loud clang behind me before I hear a gurgled choke and a thud as a body falls.

"Thanks, Silver!" I shout to the retreating hedgehog, and I lunge at Scourge.

"What's the matter, Sonic? Does her death scare you?" Scourge asks mockingly. Beyond pissed, I use my super speed to go around him and run him through with my sword, ending his miserable existence. However, before my sword can impale him, Scourge is suddenly besides me and he kicks me a good ten feet away from him.

"Well look who has super speed too! Things just got reeeeeeal interesting!" Scourge chuckles malevolently.

"It's about time I have an actual challenge." I cough as I get back up. Although, I would've preferred not having it now, when so much is on the line. That's life for ya, though.

"How about we take this up a notch then?" Scourge suddenly zooms towards me and I sloppily deflect his attack, receiving a superficial cut on my right bicep. It would've been a lot deeper of not for my armor.

"You know, I don't think it's fair you have armor on while I don't." Scourge muses, also noticing the cut.

"_'Fair'_? Ha, that's rich, coming from you." I scoff. "But, I see your point." Keeping my eye on my foe, I quickly remove my armor. "Now I'll feel even better about beating you." I smirk as I swing at him and manage to leave a small cut on his left thigh, both of us equal now. He scowls at the wound.

"Me too." He dashes towards me again, but this time I'm ready for him and completely block his blow. We clash swords back and forth at high speeds, sparks flying off our blades as we appear as nothing more than blue and green blurs to others.

"GAH!" Scourge cries out in pain as I manage to sock him right in his face, giving him a bloody nose. He wipes his nose and sees the red liquid staining his hand. "Heheheheh!" He laughs wickedly, making me arch an eyebrow in uneasiness. Is this guy mental or something? "You're in for it now, Sonic." He says maliciously, still smiling like a maniac. He sprints up to me. I stop his attack, but out of the blue his fist comes and collides with my stomach. I fly back fifteen feet and have the air ripped from my lungs.

"Told you." He smirks down at me as I struggle to get air back into my body. He raises his sword to deliver the final strike when a red and yellow blur comes streaking through the air and crashes into Scourge, forcing him away from me.

"Sonic! Are you okay?" I hear a voice ask me- a voice I do not want to hear right now.

"Amy- leave!" I rasp as I regain the ability to breath.

"Not happening." She stubbornly says. I growl as I hear Scourge groan as he regains his bearings.

"Damn it, Amy!" I scoop her up into my arms and speed off towards the Pallerthan castle's entrance, keeping out of Scourge's sight.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" I scold once we're out of view. "Because if you are, going near Scourge like that is one definite way!"

She places a hand on her hip with a defiant look. "Last I checked, I just saved your life!"

"Look, I appreciate that, but this is no place for you! Go back inside, where it's safe!" I plead.

"Sonic, would you stay put when you know my life is in danger?"

"No, but-"

"So what in the hell makes you think that I will stay put?" She crosses her arms as she stares me down. I growl and rub a hand over my face. I know for a fact that she won't budge on this and that she also has a point.

I abruptly pull her towards me and embrace her. "Please, be careful." I finally whisper in defeat.

"You too." She softly replies, hugging me back. I let her go and finally notice her wedding dress all torn up to make it easier for her to move, her feet also bare.

"Nice." I gesture to her 'outfit'. She smirks at it.

"Hopefully my mom won't be too upset."

"Eh, now you can get a new dress for our wedding." I say nonchalantly, her head whipping up so she can stare at me with large, round eyes.

"Let's get back out there." I wink at her and lead the way back into the battlefield.

Six soldiers immediately spot us and charge. I swipe a fallen soldier's sword and toss it to Amy.

"Extra protection." I explain after she catches it. I'm not denying her hammer is deadly, but she can at least use the sword as some sort of shield.

She nods and we attack the oncoming soldiers. I quickly take down four and cautiously, but also proudly, watch as Amy fights the other two. She knocks one's legs from under him and stabs him through the chest as he lays on the ground while she sends a mighty swing to the other one's head with her hammer, undoubtedly killing him once it makes contact. She's learned and remembered a lot from our training.

"HANG ON, DAD!" I hear Knuckles' frustrated shout. I look to see Umdir and the Master Emerald surrounded by a large amount of soldiers, the older echidna fighting like a whirlwind as the soldiers keep coming, the large gem seemingly getting darker. Dedicated to his job to the end, I see. I then spot Knuckles towards the outside edge of the group, furiously trying to fight his way towards his father.

"Stay safe." I order Amy and I get a running start to leap over the soldiers surrounding the guardian and his gem. As I soar through the air, a green blur hurdles towards me and tackles me in mid-air, sending us both crashing to the ground right in front of the large emerald.

"I'm not done with you yet, pirate!" Scourge snarls as we pick ourselves up and he lunges at me. Seriously, can I just get a little break from this guy?! This time, however, not only do I have to defend myself from the green king, but I also have to look out for his soldiers now, considering I landed right in the middle of a huge group of them.

"BACK OFF!" I hear Amy scream from above as she suddenly drops into the middle of this mess and smashes her hammer against the ground, sending the soldiers near me flying away from the force of the impact. Apparently she has no idea what the word _'safe'_ means.

"You need the assistance of a woman? How pathetic." Scourge jeers as I stop another of his strikes.

"You try taking one of her hits then. Rengash did, and he died." I grin as I lunge at him, managing to slice his cheek. He hisses in pain, the rage coming off of him almost tangible. My eyes must be playing tricks on me or something because Scourge's fur begins flickering to a dark green and his eyes seem to be getting lighter.

"Sonic, behind you!" I hear Amy warn. I whirl around and deflect a soldier's attack, then I stab him in his stomach. I really outta quit getting distracted.

I turn back towards Scourge, only to be met with a searing pain in my right shoulder as he shoves me back, making me lose my sword and making my back crash right into the side of the Master Emerald. I gasp in pain and see a knife stuck in my shoulder before I see a dark green Scourge with white eyes, a dark aura surrounding him as he lifts his sword with a maniacal grin. What the hell happened to him?!

"What an interesting emerald this is." The dark hedgehog muses out loud for no reason. No reason that I can guess, that is.

"No!" Amy rushes up to my aid, her hammer raised and her sword in the shielding position. With his left hand still gripping the hilt of the knife in my shoulder, Scourge ducks from Amy's swing and strikes at her. She deflects it with her sword, but not soon enough, for Scourge's sharp blade then slices her side.

"Amy!" I shout worriedly as she cries out in pain and she holds her side, blood seeping through her fingers. I struggle to help her, but the knife keeps me pinned.

"Pathetic." Scourge smirks humorlessly and backhands her, making her fall for the ground.

"YOU PRICK!" I snarl furiously, vaguely noticing a faint glow emitting from the emerald behind me now. The dark green male just grins mercilessly at me.

Suddenly, I hear, "NO! _DAD_!" I turn towards the panicked shout and see a struggling Knuckles as he both continues to fight and watch his dad collapse to the ground, a gunshot wound in his stomach.

"FATHER!" I then notice Tikal as she screams out, she too is stuck fighting, with tears falling as she sees her father's stunned face.

"Well, well." Scourge chuckles darkly, his sharp teeth flashing. "It seems things are now turning for the worse for you, King Sonic." Scourge says mockingly as he raises his sword. "Thanks for your land, and I'll be sure to take _good_ care of Amy."

I grit my teeth and something in me snaps, the emerald's green glow now rapidly getting brighter. A wave of warmth surges through me, removing all my pain and weariness, as Scourge eyes the large gem in wonder.

"What the-" Somehow, I fling Scourge back from me a good twenty feet with a mere flick of my fingers. He hits the ground hard, losing his sword, and he raises his head to glare at me with bared teeth. However, his snarl quickly turns into a look of confusion once he looks at me. I look down at myself and see my once-blue fur is now colored yellow and a golden aura also surrounding me. The fighting around us ceases and soldiers from both sides watch us with amazed looks.

"So, it gave you the positive powers, huh?" Scourge scoffs. "That's still not enough to defeat me!"

"What are you-" Then it clicks: the emerald's dimming, Scourge's transformation, the warmth filling me, and the emerald's glowing. The Master Emerald does indeed have magical abilities, and Scourge and I have its negative and positive powers. Luckily, I got the better looks instead of the freaky, possessed-looking transformation Scourge has. Sucker.

"What? You scared now?" I grin cockily. He narrows his white orbs at me in anger. I grab the knife's hilt and yank it out of my shoulder, feeling a light stinging as it heals, and I toss the bloodied knife aside. "You should be." I growl.

Releasing a battle cry, the dark hedgehog launches himself at me. I brace myself and collide with him. He grabs hold of my wrists and swings me around, throwing me high up into the air. Following my instincts, I focus on the feel of the winds and level myself, hovering in mid-air.

"Oh that's so cool!" I grin as I levitate fifty feet above everyone.

"You think I can't do that too?" Scourge launches himself into the air and zooms towards me. I hold out my hands to stop his head from colliding with my gut, but instead of stopping his head, a small golden ball crackling with energy forms and nails the King right in his face. He cries out in pain and nearly drops back to the ground after the impact. Not willing to let him play with his own energy shots, I focus on making a stronger shot and aim it towards the still-recuperating-hedgehog. The ball being twice-as-large this time, I send the energy shot hurdling towards him, striking his chest this time.

As I'd hoped, Scourge is unable to handle the second attack and he crashes to the ground. I dive towards him and tackle him farther into the ground, creating a crater. I stand and grab him by his quills, pulling him up to his knees.

Time to end this.

"No more of your tyranny," I knee him in the face, making him drop back down.

_For the people of Pallertha..._

"no more harm from you," I grab his right forearm and flip him over me, getting him out of the crater and slamming him onto his back.

_...for Umdir..._

"and no more _you_." I summon my sword to me as I climb out of the crater and ram its point down through Scourge's chest, blood squirting out and the cracking of bones heard as I do so.

_...and for Amy. _

"No..." He makes a gurgled gasp, and his head drops to the ground, his fur returning back to its normal shade of green and his eyes an ice blue once more, but now dull and lifeless.

"So long, Scourge." I pull my sword out and wipe the blood off on the ground, sheathing it once it's clean enough. I lift my eyes from the dead king and see pink.

"Amy!" I gasp to myself and rush over to the fallen female's side.

"Ames." I gently say as I lift her head into my lap.

"Hi, Sonikku." She smiles, wincing as she settles into my lap. I look down at her side and remove her blood-stained hands. Blood is still oozing out at an alarming rate.

"I'm sorry, Sonic, I-"

"Hey, hey, hey." I shush her, cupping her cheek with my left hand and grasping her hands with my right. "You'll be just fine. You think I just went through all that hell, only to loose you? Not a chance." Not even sure what I'm going to do, I continue to follow my instincts and I place my right hand gently over Amy's wound. I imagine all the power bestowed to me channeling down to my hand and transferring over to Amy. A faint golden glow shines from under my hand and Amy tightly grasps my arm, hissing in pain. I keep my focus solely on my hand and the transferring energy until I feel Amy's grip lighten and the light diminishes. I hesitantly move my hand and am greeted by the sight of clean, pink fur and the feel of a slightly-raised scar.

Amy slowly sits up, and she tests her side.

"I'm healed." She states with disbelief.

"See? I told you." I smirk and take her hands in mine.

"Sonic!" My ears perk up and I see Knuckles gesturing me over to where he is. I stand and take Amy with me as I dash over to my friend. There I see Knuckles and Tikal kneeling by Umdir, their tribe giving them space and watching with remorseful looks.

"Sonic, can you heal him?" Knuckles gestures to the dark orange echidna, a hint of panic in his voice as he tries to stay strong.

"I-I can try." I say uncertainly, my fur already beginning to flicker back to its normal shade of blue, but I kneel by the fallen guardian. Before I can even place my hand over the gunshot wound, though, Umdir grabs my wrist.

"No." He rasps. "My time has come."

"No, Dad, Sonic can heal you!" Knuckles says hopefully. Umdir just shakes his head.

"Ah Knuckles, my son, I am sorry for not being there for you as much as I wanted to, and for what became of us. You are just as prideful and stubborn as I am." He chuckles, then coughs. "I was always proud of you, however, and I still am proud to call you my son. Forgive me."

"I forgive you, Dad. I forgive you." My red friend starts to cry, tears trickling out of his one eye. "I'm so sorry." He whispers.

"Hush." Umdir grasps Knuckles hand and grabs Tikal's with his other.

"My dear Tikal, my wonderful, beloved daughter, you are just like your mother: loving, compassionate, and selfless. Do not follow my path, however. Make choices for yourself every now and then." His breath hitches and he squeezes his children's hands harder.

"Take care of each other, and know your mother and I love you both. Very... proud..." Umdir closes his eyes as he exhales for the final time. Knuckles lowers his head, Rouge coming up behind him and comfortingly rubs his shoulder, and Kreed embraces Tikal, letting her cry into his chest.

I suddenly notice a sparkling, green snake-like mist emerge from Umdir's chest. Tribe members gasp and murmur, making Knuckles and Tikal look back at their father's body, and the mist divides itself into two. As Knuckles and Tikal watch with wonder, the mist-halves dissolve into both of the echidna's chests. A blinding glow emits from the Master Emerald once more, and Zarruk solemnly steps forward.

"Behold, Guardian Knuckles and Guardian Tikal, the new guardians of the Master Emerald!" Knuckles and Tikal look at each other, wide-eyed, having never heard of two people chosen as guardians at the same time.

Feeling like I should let the tribe have their moment and figure things out, I lead Amy away from the echidnas and go to where my crew and siblings are huddled up.

To my relief, they are all accounted for, just with some wounds that'll definitely leave scars, like the gash on Shadow's cheek, the cut on Sonia's left forearm, and the chunk of ear that was sliced off of Tails' head. Even Luna has some good wounds, but she doesn't seem to notice as she chitchats with my group, Amara watching with a smile. They sure can make life hell, but family are worth keeping. Most of the time.

"Hey you two!" Manic greets after he spots me and Amy, and the others all of a sudden surround us, all of us celebrating each other's safety.

"Ahem!" A voice interrupts. We all look to see a black wolf with teal hair and a teal-tipped tail. "Pardon my intrusion," He bows. "but what are your orders for us, my Queen?" I look at Amy and see her eyeing him suspiciously.

"Well, Peter," She starts. "will you first care to tell me what my late husband's plans for Robotnia was?" I tense from the memory of Scourge's confession, and I watch as the wolf grimaces, looking at her fearfully.

"He planned to have you murdered and frame Robotnia, giving him reason to go to war." Shock and horror crosses Amy's face, as well as the peoples' faces who are close enough to hear it, before her lips form a small smile.

"Thank you for your honesty, Peter. As for you and your men, stand down. King Sonic and his people are our friends." Peter smiles with relief and bows again.

"Thank you, my Queen." He then turns and faces his men.

"STAND DOWN!" He orders. Some of the soldiers immediately drop their weapons with sighs of relief, while others murmur, distrust clear on their faces.

"My people!" Amy then addresses them, her voice loud and full of authority already. "There is no need to fear! King Sonic has just freed us all from the life of poverty, corruption, and mistreatment! Yes, lives were lost, but they were lost not in vain! Come and follow me in the refinement of this kingdom!" Cheers sound as the rest of the soldiers throw their weapons down. I smile. She will make a great Queen.

"All hail Queen Amelia!" Peter shouts.

"All hail Queen Amelia!" Everyone repeats, including me. She tearfully smiles as she sees her people rejoice.

I nudge her, gaining her attention. "And long may she reign." I say softly. She chuckles, tears of happiness now falling, and she tackles me with a hug. I hold her tightly, thankful we both made it through. "Looks like that hammer of yours prophesied right." I say as I stroke her quills, letting her cry into my chest. She brought big change to her world alright... and mine.

"I-I thought I'd never see y-you again." She cries. I pull back and make her look up at me with those jade eyes that I adore.

"Wherever you go, I'll follow. I love you, Amelia." There! I said it! And boy does it feel good. She smiles wide, tears still falling.

"I love you too, Sonic the Hedgehog. I love you so much!" Elated, I bring her face to mine and kiss her with everything I have. Loud cheering sounds once our lips meet, but we ignore them._ Amy... My Ames..._

As we kiss, I can't help but to feel for the first time ever like things are finally going to be okay...

**OMAGOODNESS! Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry...**

**SCREW IT! I'M CRYING! D,X**

**Just the epilogue left now! :,( I'll update as soon as I have time... I HATE FINALS! :P**

**Please review!**


	19. Epilogue

**Sorry, this took longer to write than I wanted. :P**

**Nine months ago I posted the first chapter, and now here we are! The Finale! Not bad for posting the first chapter, then realizing I have no idea where this story was goin', huh? ;) I'll probably rewrite this someday, but not anytime soon.**

**For the final time, I thank Sunset Rose 22, AmegakureAngel, SoraRose7, FireWitch25, shaggy4067, Inspired Girl, and ****Roaming Traveler**** for the reviews you all left last chapter! I also thank all of you who followed and favorited this story! Every single one of you was my inspiration! Seriously, thank you all!**

**Now, enjoy the final chapter of My Treasure! (I'll try not to cry again...)**

**I own Amara, this story, and the name 'Shadykins'. Sega or Archie own the other characters.**

**Chapter 19: Epilogue**

**Amy's P.O.V.**

"King Marcus and Queen Penelope disappeared after that, never to be heard from again, and we got married two months later. We combined our two kingdoms, creating the peaceful kingdom you live in now, and kept the name Eonia in respect of your Grandfather Jules. And that, kids, is the story of how your mother and I met." Sonic finishes telling the kid-friendly version of our story, draping an arm over my shoulders while I rest my head on his shoulder with a smile. My how the years go by. It seems like only yesterday when Sonic and I were reunited instead of it being twelve years..

"Awwwwwwe!" Our four-year-old daughter, Daisy, coos. Daisy is truly a mixture of me and Sonic. She is lavender-colored with my quill style, she has her father's green eyes, and she has her father's energy with my stubbornness.

Eight-year-old Garret scrunches up his face in discomfort at Sonic and I's affection towards each other.

"Did you ever take care of that guy? Meph-whatever-his-name-is?" He asks. Garret is pale blue with my eyes, having flecks of darker green in them, and he looks up to his older brother greatly, usually posing problems for us.

"Mephiles, and yes. He's locked away with Eggman." Sonic nods. It was amazing to see the closure it brought him when Sonic had Mephiles arrested. The wounded hedgehog I saw that night he told me about Sally was healed.

Ten-year-old Jules crosses his arms and simply looks at us with an unimpressed look. Jules looks exactly like his father, with the exception of he having my eyes. He has my temper and Sonic's cunning ways, resulting in a very hard-headed hedgehog who thinks he knows better. And this is _before_ the teen years...

All three of our kids have Sonic's speed- lucky us- and take every opportunity to explore when they can. The nice thing about being pregnant now is I can make Sonic deal with the kids anytime and make him do anything I want. In a way, it is like I'm on break, a break that'll end with me in extreme, agonizing pain

"Nice story, Mom and Dad, but we just asked how you met, not for some story." Jules roles his eyes

"You don't believe us?" My husband asks incredulously.

"Come on, Dad. _You_, a captain of pirates? And Mom was forced to marry someone else first? You know nobody can't force her to do _anything_!"

"What's that supposed to mean? Of course I was Captain!" Sonic says defensively, disregarding the fact that our eldest just said I was the most stubborn person. "Where else did I get this scar?" Sonic bares his right shoulder, revealing the scar where Scourge stabbed him all those years ago.

"Dad, you can't even swim. How could you be a pirate?" Sonic lowers his ears and flushes in embarrassment, covering his shoulder back up. Years ago, after being hounded by Jules and I to come swimming with us, Sonic finally admitted he didn't know how to swim and that he refused to learn. Obviously, that's still true to this day.

"Ames, help me out here!" Sonic hisses at me.

"This is your problem and your boy, dear." I smile at him, making him roll his eyes.

"Where did you get your hammer, Mom? For real." Garret then asks me.

"I told you- from the Peacekeepers." I stare him down, challenging him to question me. Unsurprisingly, he is unfazed by it.

"Right. Because it is _magical_ and chose you because you are_ 'the chosen one'._" He says sarcastically.

"You already tried picking it up!" I point out, starting to get irritated.

"That's not fair for him, though! That thing probably weighs more than him!" Jules counters.

"Damn you kids." Sonic tiredly groans as he rubs his face. I smack his shoulder.

"Language!" I scold. "Daisy's here!"

"I BEWEVE YOU MOMMY AND DADDY!" Daisy yells at us and sticks her tongue out at her older brothers.

"Thanks, sweatheart." I smile while I rub my ringing ears. "Inside voices, though, remember?"

"Oh yeah, sorry." She whispers and giggles.

"Why can't you boys be like your sister and believe me when I say I was once a pirate?" Sonic gestures to our lavender-colored daughter in exasperation.

"Wait, yur a pirate, Daddy?" Her emerald eyes widen.

"Alright that's it, you troublesome kids! Get outta here!" Sonic shoos. "Go bug Grandma Aleena or something!"

"Am I _'treblesum_' too, Daddy?" Daisy asks, her eyes starting to water, as her grumbling brothers leave the room.

"No, sweetie. Daddy and I just need break." I quickly explain, not needing a crying child right now.

"Oh. Okay! Bye!" She immediately brightens and skips out the door, accidentally slamming it behind her. "Sorry!" She calls through the closed door. Sonic and I both wearily sigh.

"And you want another one." I point down to my bulging stomach with a smirk.

"Maybe this one will believe I was a Captain of pirates and not be such a smart mouth." Sonic coos as he rubs my stomach.

I giggle, "Here's hoping. These kids of ours got me thinking, though." Sonic arches an eyebrow at me as he straightens back up.

"Thinkin' about what?"

"Thinking its time for the old crew to have a reunion." I smile. We've kept in touch with all our friends, but it's been years since we were all together at the same time.

My husband brightens. "That's a great idea! Then I can prove those no-good sons of ours wrong!" I roll my eyes.

"Right. Because that's all that matters: being right."

"Oh yeah, then you can prove 'em wrong too." He smirks. I face-palm.

Some things will always stay the same...

**XXXXX**

"UNCLE KNUCKLES!" Daisy shrieks with joy as she bursts into the Master Emerald's hut.

Knuckles jumps up in surprise. "_Daisy_? What the-"

"UNCLE KNUCKLES!" The rest of the kids come filing in, tackling the red guardian in one, massive group-hug.

"Wha-"

"Heeeeeey! What's up, Patches?" Sonic greets as he struts into the hut, the rest of us filing into the now-crowded hut.

"Sonic?" Knuckles eyes my blue husband with bewilderment, and he notices the rest of the group, the kids unwrapping themselves from him now. "And everyone else too? What the hell's going on?"

"Knuckles, language. There are children here." A pregnant Cream scolds, Tails with a smile standing besides her.

Tails managed to find his father and a younger brother named Nathan two years after the battle with Scourge. Tails' mother died giving birth to Nathan nine years prior, however, but his father was still overjoyed to have Tails back. Tails married Cream two years ago and she is now pregnant with their first child. Tails is Eonia's top architecture and visits Sonic and I regularly with Cream. Cream is a nurse and has become a close friend of mine. She is such a sweetheart, and is a perfect match for Tails.

"Oh, we're just throwin' a little get together for the old crew here." Sonic shrugs and says nonchalantly.

"And I'm just now hearing about this?" Knuckles crosses his arms.

"Yep." The blue speedster grins.

"Why am I surprised anymore?" Knuckles groans and rubs his temple. A feminine voice is heard from the back room of the hut.

"Hey Knuckie, do my hips look bigger to you or-" Rouge comes out with her robe wide open, revealing her undergarments underneath, and she stops dead in her tracks once she spots us, blushing in embarrassment.

"Damn it, Knuckles! You should've warned me people are here!" She growls as she tightens her robe around her frame.

"What?! They literally just showed up!" The echidna exclaims. His wife just scoffs and retreats back into the room, to get dressed, I'm guessing.

"We'll be waitin' in the clearing." Sonic says with a smirk as he pats the guardian's shoulder and abruptly leaves, at least taking the children with him.

"Unless you and the Mrs. have _other_ plans?" Manic asks with a sly smirk. Knuckles glares at the green hedgehog.

"Manic!" His wife, Mina, smacks and scolds him. Manic married Mina, a yellow mongoose with purple hair, ten years ago and now has a nine-year-old boy mongoose named Roy, a five-year-old girl hedgehog named Lauren, and a one-year-old boy hedgehog named Charles.

Manic chuckles and follows his brother.

"Sorry, Knuckles," I roll my eyes at the level of immaturity here. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, having been married to Sonic for twelve years now. "he lied and said he gave you a heads up."

"He just lives to create hell in my life." The purple-eyed echidna grumbles as he slowly makes his way to where his wife is. I suppress a giggle after seeing his grimace and usher everybody else to the main clearing in the Peacekeeper's village.

Knuckles and Rouge married two weeks after the battle with Scourge, and they have an eleven-year-old boy bat named Umdir, a seven-year-old boy echidna named Slate and a bat girl born two months ago named Misty. Since there are two Guardians, Tikal and Knuckles take turns guarding the Master Emerald, switching every two months, and are able to spend more time with their families than their father was able to. When Knuckles is off duty, he and Rouge come stay at Sonic and I's castle, Knuckles being the head commander for the royal army with Rouge right besides him, helping him train our soldiers. Obviously, right now is Knuckles' turn to guard the emerald.

"So you mean to tell me you two already have three kids and are having_ another _one?" Silver asks with surprise as we adults settle down in the clearing, the kids wreaking havoc elsewhere.

Silver and Blaze have a near-thirteen-year-old boy cat named Maximus, Max for short, and a ten-year-old hedgehog girl named Topaz. The couple went back to Glaridna a month after the battle and became traders by boat, keeping the ability to travel but also having the ability to come home frequently

"Yup." Sonic proudly states, wrapping his arm around my enlarged waist.

"Look at you two getting busy." The telekinesis-user smirks.

"Silver!" Blaze smacks his arm while I blush.

"You could say that." Sonic smirks.

"Sonic!" I whine, my face flaming. What is it with guys?!

"Man, look at us- all married with kids, and our wives nagging at us!" Vector grins as he eyes our expanded group.

Vector married Vanilla nine years ago and has a seven-year-old crocodile girl named Piper, who gets along fantastically with her older sister Cream. Vector found his older brother, but unfortunately his brother died just three years after their separation as kids. Vector continued to raise Charmy as his own, with the help of Vanilla, and sent off a highly knowledgeable bee into the world just three years ago. Vector and Vanilla run a little cafe that is growing rapidly popular in Dascoun. I heard they're getting ready to open up a second shop. I think it's because of my awesome teaching abilities, since I taught Vector everything he knows about seasoning. Oh god, that's sounds like something Sonic would say! I better be careful.

"_'Nagging_'?" Vanilla eyes the crocodile.

"Heheh, see?" Vector gestures while chuckling nervously at his unamused wife.

"Tikal does not nag me, but that is because I am not idiotic." Espio says with an arched eyebrow as he watches Vector try to sweet-talk his rabbit wife.

Kreed and Tikal did not work out, but still managed to be friends afterwards. It was four years after the battle that Espio and Tikal started seeing each other, then getting married the year after. They have a seven-year-old chameleon daughter named Lilith, Lily for short, and a three year-old echidna son named Quincy. Espio was able to pay off his parents' ranch, and he helps financially support his parents. When they are not on Chaos Island for Tikal's turn in guarding, she and Espio travel with Blaze and Silver, gaining as much knowledge about the world as they can.

"I do not tolerate nagging." Shadow crosses his arms, his usual indifferent face on.

"Amour," Amara rolls her eyes with a smirk. "I've nagged you before several times, and you haven't been able to do a thing about it."

Shadow and Amara were married four weeks after the battle with Scourge, and they now have three kids: Maria, Ben, and Ruby. Maria is a twelve-year-old with magenta fur and black quills, and she has her father's red eyes. Seven-year-old Ben is the spitting image of his father, but with brown stripes instead of red and has hazel eyes. Four-year-old Ruby is solid red and has her mother's brown eyes. For the most part, their kids have their mother's personality, but they can easily be rude and cunning liked their father. The family visits us often, especially since Shadow is the commander of Eonia's navel fleet and Amara is still my best friend, and we all get along. Even Shadow and Sonic are a bit better. Just a bit.

Shadow goes to open his mouth and argue with her, but after she gives him a warning glare, he shuts it and crosses his arms with a scowl.

"Hmph." She looks away with a triumphant grin.

"You guys really outta learn; women are definitely the ones in charge." Sonia smirks, her husband, Drake, sitting besides her and pretending not to be paying any attention to the conversation.

Sonia got married three years ago to Drake, a pale green cat, and has a two-year-old girl cat named Grace. Because of Eonia's large size and they are basically second-in-command to Sonic and I, Manic and Sonia live in the more far-off places from where Sonic and I live, helping Sonic and I to stay in touch with our people and are so they are within the people's reach should they need help.

"How about we talk about something that isn't for old people?" Charmy nonchalantly says as he lays on the ground in relaxation. Charmy is currently one of Eonia's Fleet Captains, and continues to excel at it. He can easily be as boisterous as he was twelve years ago, however.

"Boy, didn't I teach you _ANY_ manners?" Vector growls at his adopted son, their relationship basically the same as it was over a decade ago.

"Maybe." The grown bee shrugs. "But I definitely would've learned them from Vanilla, not you, old man."

"Why I-"

"MOM!" Topaz interrupts as she comes running up with an annoyed scowl on her face. "Would you please make Max leave me alone? He keeps messing up my quills!" The white-with-purple-stripes hedgehog whines, some of her quills sticking up comically.

"I told you to start asking your father for things, not me." Blaze sighs wearily. Topaz scrunches up her face.

"But Dad isn't scary!"

"What?!" Silver straightens up. "I am scary!" Blaze rolls her eyes at her husband defending only himself.

Topaz arches an eyebrow at her father. "Right..."

"I am!" He huffs. "You should've seen all the people fleeing from me before you and Max were born!"

"When you were a '_pirate_', right?" Sonic's ears perk up with interest while Topaz rolls her eyes. "Come on, Dad. Even Mom had to help you make up that story, but it's still not that believable." She turns back to her mother.

"Now will you please deal with Max?"

"Topaz, this is your problem. You deal with your brother."

"You could threaten to burn him." Sonic suggests. Blaze and I shoot him dirty looks.

"He just snuffs it out with his mind powers!" The young hedgehog groans in exasperation.

"Now don't you wish you had cool powers like your scary Dad?" Silver crosses his arms with a smirk. Topaz just gives him a blank look.

"Maybe if I were to sneak up on him..." She says lowly to herself, and she runs off, disregarding Silver's comment.

"Wha- I- she-" Silver sputters. "Damn these kids! They just get mouthier the older they get!" He growls.

"Don't even get me started!" Sonic straightens up. "I'm just glad my kids aren't the only ones who don't believe our pirating days!"

"I think my kids believe us, but they can lie like their mother..." Knuckles rubs his chin thoughtfully, wincing from the punch his wife delivers to his arm.

"My children believe me." Shadow shrugs.

"Of course they do." Sonic rolls his eyes.

"I propose we get all the kids together and tell the whole story together, that way they have no choice but to believe us!" Manic suggests.

"Now there's an idea!" Vector points at Manic.

"Alright, let's do it!" Sonic stands and zooms off to retrieve the kids. In a matter of minutes a small rumbling is felt as all the children appear and rush to sit in front of us.

"I LOVE STORIES!" I hear Daisy shriek with glee. At least she's outside.

Sonic starts. "Now, this story starts a long time ago, long before any of you were born and- yes, Jules?"

"Are you retelling the story you told us back home?" Our son asks impatiently.

"Yes, now be quiet and listen as you hear this from not just me, but all of my old crew members. Pirates I was in charge of." My husband glares pointedly at Jules, who just crosses his arms.

"And yes, Sonic here was indeed our captain and we were all pirates." Shadow clarifies. At this admission from Shadow, most of the children's eyes widen with wonder, including our sons'.

"What the hell?" Sonic curses under his breath and glares at the ebony hedgehog. "Why do they believe you?!"

Shadow smirks and opens his mouth, but Amara interrupts, "Because he never lies!" She mimics him with a deep voice and with an exaggerated scowl. The kids all burst out laughing, as well as us adults, while Shadow glares at his wife.

"Anyways," Sonic chuckles. "It all really started eighteen years ago..."

**XXXXX**

"Hey Shads, secure the rigging over there, would ya?" Sonic gestures to the left of the mast as he steers. Being back on The Acorn with some of the old crew brings back so many memories, with the exception of a few royal guards. It's unavoidable when royalty travels.

"Why not make one of your kids do it?" The black hedgehog asks from his make-shift hammock.

"And make them come up _back_ up here? No thank you!" The blue king shakes his head. All of our kids are below deck and are out of our quills, since they now question us nonstop about the old days. The only kid up here is Maria, and she's luckily keeping quiet. Most of the other adults are either helping prepare dinner or are watching the kids. Those poor souls.

Shadow shuts his eyes. "Maria, go secure the rigging."

"Please?" Amara pokes her husband's arm with a raised eyebrow.

"Please." He sighs.

"Alright." The twelve-year-old gets up and walks over to the left of the mast.

"What? No complaint or scowl? How does that work?" Sonic asks as he watches the obedient Maria do as her father asked.

"Sonic, it's Shadow. Imagine having him as a dad." Amara points to her husband with her thumb, wearing a smirk.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He cracks open one of his red eyes and glares at her.

"Whatever you want it to mean, Shadykins." She coos and climbs into the hammock with him, making him flush as she pecks his cheek. Even after twelve years, he still gets uncomfortable when he receives too much public affection.

"Aww, does Dad need some hugs?" Maria giggles as she comes back, and she climbs into the hammock as well, clinging to her father.

"Maria, get off!" He groans as his wife and daughter bursts into a fit of giggles.

"Aww, he might need some kisses too!" Amara grins.

"I will flip you both out of this." He threatens. They just laugh and continue to torment him.

I chuckle and walk up to Sonic's side at the helm, and I observes his peaceful, but also wistful, face.

"What's the matter?" I ask.

"I miss sailing like this- having no worries, hearing the constant ocean waves, and surrounded by the people I care about." The blue king sighs.

"It was nice." I admit. Even though I only experienced it for nearly a week, oh-so-long-ago, I still managed to miss it as well. I can only imagine how much my Sonic is missing it. "Well, tell you what- once the kids take over the kingdom, we can go sailing again. We could probably even recruit some of the old crew." I say, trying to cheer him up.

"Yeah?" He looks at me questioningly.

"Of course, Sonniku." I smile and nod. He grins and drapes his arm over my shoulder, pulling me close.

"Sounds like a plan." He says softly and kisses my temple.

Smiling, I look off into the horizon while rubbing my bulging stomach, the sky turning orange with the setting sun, and I listen to the calming ocean waves. Never could I have guessed that this is what my future held for me, and it all was because of one Captain and his crew of pirates...

**The End**

**Oh man, I side I wouldn't cry... _*restrains* _**

**I already have an idea for my next story, (it'll be in third POV) but for my sake, I need to take a break from writing chapter stories and figure out what the hell I am doing with my life. It is far too easy to get lost in the world of writing and ignore reality!**

**For the final time, I ask that you all review! Tell me what you thought of this story! Even if you are a viewer years from now, I still encourage you to review. (Just be respectful about it)**

**Farewell, and to my followers, you'll see my next story soon enough! ;) _*composure slips and the bawling begins*_**


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